Tam said so far researchers have encountered more moderate cases associated with Omicron, but there is more to learn about the severity of the variant
She said there have been 87 confirmed cases of Omicron reported in seven jurisdictions in Canada, all of which have been asymptomatic or mild.Article content
Vaccines are a “gift” that Canada did not have during the last holiday season, Tam said, and recent approval of vaccines for children ages five to 11 means 95 per cent of the Canadian population is now eligible for immunization.Article content Among youth and adults aged 12 to 59, unvaccinated people were 32 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19, while for those over 60, unvaccinated people were 16 times more likely to be hospitalized, Tam told the briefing.
“If they’re thinking of travelling should be a serious alarm bell, a serious concern for them,” Duclos said. “It’s going to be uncertain and risky.” However, Duclos acknowledged Friday that Canadian airports do not yet have the capacity to fully test all non-U.S. international arrivals. He did not say when that would happen.