Ottawa: Severe illness trends continue to decline, with weekly reductions reported in most jurisdictions across the country.
The latest provincial and territorial data shows that the average number of people with COVID-19 being treated in hospitals each day during the most recent 7-day period (Mar 11-17, 2022), was 11% lower than last week.
During the same time period, the number of people who were being treated in intensive care units (ICU) daily decreased by 14% compared to the prior week, and an average of 51 deaths were reported daily (Mar 11-17, 2022). Keeping infection rates down remains key to further reducing severe illness trends and protecting vulnerable populations over the coming weeks.
The latest provincial and territorial data indicate that over 81% of the total population are now fully vaccinated. Age-specific vaccine coverage data, as of March 13, 2022, show that over 88% of people 12 years or older have at least one dose and over 84% are fully vaccinated, while among children aged 5-11 years of age, 57% have at least one dose. Yesterday, Health Canada authorized the Moderna Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine (50 mcg) for children 6 to 11 years of age.
Chief Public Health Officer of Canada said that as we expect the SARS-CoV-2 virus to continuously evolve, we are closely monitoring the domestic and international situation and preparing for new variants. The BA.2 sub-lineage of the Omicron variant is increasing in Canada but at a slow rate, while other sub-lineages are declining or stable. The growth rate of BA.2 internationally appears to be highest where there is a combination of low booster coverage and where BA.1 has not already driven high infection rates. While evidence suggests BA.2 is more transmissible than BA.1, BA.2 does not appear to be associated with more severe illness in vaccinated populations.
However, it is still capable of causing severe disease among people without prior immunity, which underscores the importance of getting up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccines including a booster if you are eligible, he said in a statement.