Omicron infections may have peaked, but hospitalizations rising: Dr. Tam

The latest COVD-19 data suggests that Omicron cases in Canada have peaked, but the worst isn’t over yet.

At a press conference on Friday, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, told reporters that key indicators appear to be showing that the Omicron wave is slowing.

“There are early indications that infections may have peaked at the national level, including daily case counts, test positivity, RT or the effective reproduction number and wastewater surveillance trends,” she said.

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She also acknowledged that testing limitations in many provinces is contributing to lower case counts.

While that’s reason for cautious optimism, the worst of the wave is yet to come. Hospitalizations, ICU admissions and deaths lag behind case counts. Hospitalizations have been rising sharply across the country and this has not yet showed signs of slowing.

“Over the past week, an average of over 10,000 people with COVID-19 were being treated in our hospitals each day, surpassing peak daily numbers for all previous waves of the pandemic,” Dr. Tam said.

The number of Canadians in ICUs across the country has exceeded most previous waves of the virus.

“This includes over 1100 people in intensive care units, which is higher than all but the third wave peak,” she added. “During the same period there were on average 131 deaths reported each day.“

Today’s #COVID19 #Epidemiology in Canada Daily Update: https://t.co/2586g1O35R pic.twitter.com/n7xfOLEd7h

— Dr. Theresa Tam (@CPHO_Canada) January 21, 2022