By: Thomas I. Likness
EBC News Service

(Eagle News) — Existing public health measures are not strong enough to prevent a resurgence of Covid-19 cases in Canada the country’s chief public health officer said Friday.

“With more contagious variants spreading, this model predicts that community-based health measures will be insufficient to control rapid growth and resurgence is forecast,” said Dr. Theresa Tam.

In the past two weeks, Tam says daily case numbers have risen by more than 30 per cent.

She says enhanced public health measures, along with individual precautions, such as social distancing and reduced contacts with others, could stem the surge of new cases.

“With increasing circulation of highly contagious variants, the threat of uncontrolled epidemic growth is significantly elevated,” Tam warned. “If we ease measures too soon before enough people are vaccinated, the epidemic will resurge, even stronger.”

Tam also worries because several there are several religious holidays in April.

“Every time we hit a holiday period, we’re always a bit anxious,” she said.”Passover, Easter, Ramadan — times when families and churches and other gatherings typically occur.”

She adds now is not the time for holiday gatherings.

As to when restrictions can safely be lifted, Tam suggests it will probably be at least six months.

She says if people can get two doses of vaccine by the end of September life could change.

“I look towards the fall where you don’t have to continuously put in restrictive measures,” said Tam. “You’re going to be able to go back into your social spaces, schools, universities in a way that you can manage and not have to keep shutting things down.”

She adds people will still have to take personal precautions until more is known about how vaccines work and what happens to variants.
(Eagle News Service)