In a separate news conference on Tuesday, Ford said the province would expand access to COVID-19 vaccines, targeting people with underlying health conditions and their caregivers, as well as geographic hot spots that have seen rising cases. Canada Could Have Avoided the Deadly Third Wave But Politics Got in the Way Doctors, scientists, and local officials have pleaded with provinces for paid sick days and other supports all along. Share. OTTAWA: Canada's hospitalisations are surging, intensive care beds are filling up and COVID-19 variants are spreading as a third wave of the pandemic … "While COVID-19 continues to impact people of all ages in Canada, infection rates are highest among those aged 20 to 39 years of age. "The end is definitely in sight but we're not there yet. Restaurant dining rooms, personal care services, and gyms were already closed across the province as last week province official shut down many places but stopped short of a stay-at-home order. The new wave is … "Right now my concern is ... the ICUs filling up, not just hospitalizations, because there is an absolute limit to ICU capacity, not necessarily because of equipment, but because of people," Tam said during Friday's press conference. “As the third wave of the pandemic continues to pick up steam, we have seemingly learned nothing from the two previous waves,” he wrote. Andre Picard, a health columnist at the Globe and Mail newspaper, said the latest modelling data estimates Ontario could see as many as 6,000 new COVID-19 infections daily – up from 2,500 now – and 800 ICU patients by the end of April. According to a Sunday report from Insider, the country's third wave is affecting young people more severely than ever before, and health experts believe it's because of emerging strains of COVID-19 mutations. “We are seeing younger patients on ventilators – many are parents of school-aged children. WhatsApp. Picard criticised the province’s measures, questioning why “relatively low-risk activities such as outdoor dining are being stopped, while high-risk activities such as large church services can go ahead” and retail stores remain open. Top health officials say the surge of infections is fueled by new COVID-19 variants. (CNN)Canada's third wave of the pandemic is now more serious than the previous two, as hospitalizations and critical care admissions spike and the vaccine rollout is unlikely to change things over the next few weeks. “Some people say this is the busiest we’ve been in 15 years,” he said. 0. In a news conference on Tuesday, Canada’s top doctor, Theresa Tam, noted that … Seniors sit in a waiting room after receiving their vaccine against COVID-19 in Laval, Quebec, in February [File: Christinne Muschi/Reuters]BC health officials have reported cases involving the coronavirus variants first discovered in the UK, South Africa and Brazil. We are seeing entire families end up in our ICUs. The Quebec government announced on Tuesday evening that it was tightening restrictions in so-called red zones, including the province’s largest city, Montreal, amid the rise in infections. April 10, 2021. “We do know that a lot of that is the variant[s], and it does seem like it is a more transmissible strain and it also seems that people do get sicker with some of these variants,” Dr Gerald Da Roza, head of medicine at Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster, BC, told CBC News. The new wave is … Meanwhile, Trudeau told reporters he planned to speak to Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Tuesday. “Around the world, countries are facing a very serious third wave of this pandemic and right now so is Canada,” he said. In a statement released Wednesday, Tam underscored the threat of variants spreading and leading to more infections and severe illness, especially among younger Canadians. And now it may soon hit Canada with full force. However, restrictions have only moderately decreased new infections despite the fact that cities like Toronto have been in some form of lockdown since late November. Canada is facing “a very serious third wave” of the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday, as the country’s most populous province is struggling to respond to rising infections and hospitalisations, and the rapid spread of coronavirus variants. The spread of variants has prompted concerns from doctors and other healthcare workers, who say younger people are becoming sicker and requiring hospitalisation. Although Canada broke a record this week for vaccine doses administered, Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer, says the vaccine rollout will not slow the rapid growth in cases as more contagious variants spread throughout the country. 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Canada's third wave of the pandemic is now more serious than the previous two, as hospitalizations and critical care admissions spike and the vaccine rollout is … “With increasing case counts and the presence of variants of concern, we need to break chains of transmission and keep our schools safe,” Peel Region Medical Officer of Health Dr Lawrence Loh said in a statement. This third wave is more serious and we need to hang in there for another few weeks to make sure that we can flatten that curve, drop those numbers down again, to give a chance for vaccines to take hold," said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a press conference in Ottawa Friday. TORONTO -- Ontario has entered a third wave of COVID-19, the province's hospital association says. While Canada’s federal government approves and secures coronavirus vaccines, it is up to each province to set the rules around how the jabs are administered and to whom. Canada has reported at least one million cases of COVID-19 and more than 23,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally. Ontario has seen a surge in COVID-19 infections in recent weeks and imposed limited lockdown measures over the weekend. Ontario has entered into third wave of pandemic: Experts – Mar 15, 2021. In a tweet published on Monday, the Ontario … “Even if the sun is shining and the weather is getting warmer, COVID-19 isn’t done with us yet.”. "The end is definitely in sight but we're not there yet. Today there are 430 patients with COVID-19 in Ontario ICUs, the highest number ever. Ontario imposes provincewide restrictions amid third wave By ROB GILLIES April 1, 2021 GMT TORONTO (AP) — The leader of Canada’s most populous province announced Thursday what he calls a province wide shutdown for four weeks because of a third surge of coronavirus infections fueled by more contagious virus variants. The province came dangerously close on Friday to shattering a record for a single day increase in cases and has already set a record this week for intensive care unit admissions related to Covid-19. Last week, more than 150 intensive care physicians in Ontario wrote an open letter to the provincial government, urging it to put stricter public health measures in place to stem the spread of the virus – and of the new variants in particular. On Tuesday, it reported 3,065 new cases as the seven-day average of new infections reached 2,862. A recent increase in cases and hospitalisations in several provinces – including the most populous, Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia on the west coast – has prompted calls for stricter public health measures to stem the spread of the virus. Canada's hospitalizations are surging, intensive care beds are filling up and COVID-19 variants are spreading as a third wave of the pandemic sweeps across much … A similar schools closure was ordered on Monday for the Peel region, an area home to about 1.5 million people west and northwest of Toronto, where students will have access to remote learning for at least two weeks. Photographer: Cole Burston/Getty Images Photographer: Cole Burston/Getty Images Covid-19 cases in Canada breached the 1 million mark as a third wave … It’s the first province in the real grip of a third wave. The United Kingdom variant of coronavirus has found its way in all provinces of Canada. The current measures and framework are not working to contain the spread of this virus.”. The burgeoning wave is prompting new lockdowns and coronavirus restrictions across the country. Patrick Rail CTVNews.ca Digital Content Editor. What are the details? 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