The Ontario Science Table announced the province is experiencing another wave of COVID-19 infections.
Key health indicators like the province's test positivity rate, wastewater data, and hospitalizations are all increasing.
The Ontario Science Table indicated the rise in hospitalizations may not be as severe this time around.
Current evidence does not suggest BA.5 is more severe or that it will lead to a rise in hospitalizations as large as previous waves. However, any surge comes at a time when hospitals are already dealing with staff shortages and record wait times – this impacts all of us. (9/17)
— COVIDScienceOntario (@COVIDSciOntario) July 6, 2022
A new study by the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force estimates 45 per cent of Canadians were infected with the Omicron variant between December and May.
“Omicron has been a tsunami,” said CITF Executive Director Dr. Tim Evans. “Across the country, our analysis of the data suggests that 17 million Canadians had an Omicron infection in the period December to May, for an average of more than 100,000 infections per day."
Before the Omicron variant surged, only about 7 per cent of Canadians had been infected with SARS-CoV-2.
A top concern among officials is that individuals can be reinfected, even if they've had previous strains of the virus.
“Millions of Canadians now have hybrid immunity from a combination of COVID-19 vaccines and an infection. Unfortunately, emerging evidence suggests that most of these individuals remain at risk of re-infection with viruses in the Omicron lineage,” explained COVID-19 Immunity Task Force Co-Chair Dr. David Naylor.