Expert urges preparedness as COVID-19 continues to spread
As Ontario appears to be slowly climbing out of the sixth wave of the pandemic, experts say COVID-19 is not going anywhere.
Dr. Susy Hota, an infectious disease specialist, says transmission will continue into the summer months, but possibly at a lower rate, with a risk of a resurgence in the fall.
"As we typically do with other respiratory viruses anyway, we should be prepared that we might see things coming up again."
On Tuesday, seven cases of severe acute hepatitis in children were reported in Canada. This comes as an unexplained outbreak of severe cases have been found around the world, including in the UK and United States.
Dr. Hota says there is little known about the outbreak but what health experts do know is that there is a signal in the UK that the number of cases in young children is greater than they've seen in the past.
"There's something abnormal about the signal. What is causing it is still unclear," she says.
Dr. Hota notes that there should be a focus on case finding and surveillance to better understand it.
With the pandemic rolling on, new sub-variants of COVID-19 are being tracked.
Dr. Hota says in South Africa, the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants have arisen and are being watched closely because they have gone up in frequency.
"What we understand so far is that it seems to be a little more contagious than what we've seen earlier with omicron sub-variants," Dr. Hota says.
"However, any of the other clinical implications are less clear."
Dr. Hota says there are no signs it causes more severe symptoms at this stage in the research.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Iran fires at suspected Israeli attack drones near Isfahan air base and nuclear site
Iran fired air defences at a major air base and a nuclear site early Friday morning near the central city of Isfahan after spotting drones, which were suspected to be part of an Israeli attack in retaliation for Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country.
NEW After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
In his new book 'As Long as You Need', hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
NEW From window blinds to motorcycle helmets, here are the recalls in Canada this week
Here are the various items Health Canada recalled this week, including motorcycle helmets, power adapters, and bicycle cranksets.
DEVELOPING Israel targets air defence system in Syria, state news agency says
Israel carried out a missile strike targeting an air defence unit in southern Syria, causing material damage, state-run SANA news agency quoted a military statement as saying Friday.
Colin Jost names one celebrity who is great at hosting 'Saturday Night Live'
Colin Jost, who co-anchors Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update,' revealed who he thinks is one of the best hosts on the show.
Stabbed Sydney Assyrian church bishop says he forgives attacker
An Assyrian church bishop who was stabbed during a service at his church said on Thursday he was recovering quickly, and that he had forgiven his attacker as police ramped up investigation into the riots triggered after the bishop's stabbing.