Doctors across Canada are warning that COVID-19 is causing an increase in young Canadians being admitted to hospitals with more serious complications.
Dr. Abdu Sharkawy, an infectious disease specialist, previously stated that the third wave of the pandemic is infecting people under the age of 40. Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, said that over 7,100 variant cases had been reported across the country as of Friday.
According to new modelling from the Public Health Agency of Canada, if these variants continue to spread and current public health measures are maintained, Canada will see a “strong resurgence” of cases. British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and parts of Ontario are currently experiencing the highest rates, while overall incidence rates are highest among young adults aged 20 to 39 and have declined among older Canadians.
Vaccine hesitancy, according to Deonandan, increases the risks these variants pose to individuals and communities. He recommended that people get vaccinated as soon as possible and adhere to public health restrictions. Dr. Kashif Pirzada recently posted images of COVID-19 patients’ lungs on social media to highlight the impact of these variants on young people. If people get vaccinated, Deonanda believes Canada will reach herd immunity and return to normal sooner, suffocating most of the variants of concern.
“Every day you go without getting vaccinated puts you at risk of getting COVID-19,” he said. “At St. Paul’s, we’ve had a couple of cases with people who were completely fine the night before,” Kalla says. The top doctor in British Columbia is concerned that the spread of variants will result in more severe illness in people of all ages. “We’re seeing that younger people are just as susceptible to the COVID virus as the rest of us,” she says. According to Saskatchewan’s chief medical officer, young people should adhere to public health regulations in order to avoid overburdening the health-care system. “I’m very concerned because if young people become ill, our hospitals will be overwhelmed,” Shaw says.
Source: CTV News
