While it seems like the COVID-19 pandemic has been a years-long nightmare we all can’t seem to wake up from, there may be a light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to the Omicron wave in Ontario, at least .
Narcity spoke with the scientific director of Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, Dr. Peter Jüni, who shared some insight on the Omicron variant and whether or not the definition of fully vaccinated could still change.
“This wave will be over, I don’t know when exactly, perhaps in six to eight weeks from now. So it’s relatively safe to assume that we will be in a completely different spot end of March, which is good news,” Jüni said.
The science table recently published its COVID-19 projections for the province, which determined that the current Omicron wave is either on a plateau or on its way to a decline. But noted that a potential rebound in hospitalizations could happen after the first step of reopening — depending on community immunity (number of people with recent infection) or changes in contacts as of January 31, 2022.
It also stated that the third COVID-19 vaccine dose offers a “strong protection against serious illness” — a point Dr. Peter Jüni drove home in late January when he suggested that Canada’s definition of “fully vaccinated” should change to include three doses.
Juni told CBC News January 22 that expanding the term “fully vaccinated” to incorporate booster doses was “the next logical thing to do now with Omicron being dominant.”
However, if the province waits too long, Jüni said it may no longer make sense to redefine the term.
“Look, the challenge there is we’re talking about a relatively small window of opportunity. […] If we would want to change the definition for vaccination from two to three doses, it would only make sense if we did it relatively swiftly now within the next few weeks, and this could be challenging from a political perspective,” Jüni told Narcity.
Ontario eased some of its restrictions on January 31, which expanded gathering sizes as well as reopened indoor dining to Ontarians.
Juni noted that the current timeline that Ontario has is “decent” but that the province needs to move into that next step “wisely.”
“The next step after the January 31 reopening might need to be delayed if we see that we have too much of an upward trend in the parameters that we can look at,” Juni noted.
As it stands the next bout of restrictions is expected to lift on February 21, where gatherings will open up to include 25 people indoors.
According to Jüni, Ontarians won’t have “any choice” in living with COVID-19, but there will have to be new ways to deal with ongoing infections.
“After this Omicron wave — once we’ve actually gone through it without losing control again, and having another peak with hospitalizations, and ICU admissions — the face of the pandemic will change. Why? Because most of us will have experienced some exposure to the virus, either through vaccination through infection, or a combination of the two.”
Which essentially means that the risk of ending up in the hospital becomes smaller. Juni said this, along with the warmer weather and better access to drugs that can be used to treat COVID-19, like the anti-viral pill Paxlovid, should make things easier.
Health Canada has a robust website with all the latest information on COVID-19 vaccines and can answer any questions you may have.
In Ontario, at vaccine passport is required to access some events, services and businesses, including restaurants and bars.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
Reference-www.narcity.com