Manitoba health officials warning of challenging cold and flu season
As the fourth wave of COVID-19 officially hits Manitoba, public health officials are warning of a challenging cold and flu season.
According to Dr. Brent Roussin, chief provincial public health officer, staying home when sick is an important tool -- especially now as respiratory illness season is here.
"As we continue our interactions, we're very likely to see a resurgence of other typical respiratory pathogens," he said at a news conference on Monday.
Roussin said rhinovirus, which causes the common cold, is circulating right now in Manitoba, noting other viruses that could show up are influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
Medical microbiologist Dr. Philippe Lagacé -Wiens said the age group of concern for RSV is children under two
"We're now dealing with the situation where it’s been two years since we've seen RSV,” Lagacé-Wiens said.
“So you've got this whole group of kids that are under two years of age that are typically most susceptible to this virus who have never seen it."
Lagacé-Wiens said there are a few other viruses he's watching-- all of which are difficult to tell apart from COVID-19 just through symptoms.
"(It’s) best to follow those guidance documents from public health,” he said.
“If you've got two of these symptoms, you should get tested. If you only have one, keep a watchful eye, and once they're completely healthy for 24 hours, you can send them back to work or school."
Health officials know taking time off work or school can be a big burden. However, it is important to do if you’re feeling sick.
“Our health-care system is under strain, whatever we can do to minimize the transmission of any of these respiratory viruses is in all of our best interest,” Roussin said.
Tory McNally, who works as a director of human resources, said accommodating time off in the workplace due to COVID-19 is the new normal.
"As long as Manitoba Health can keep up with testing results, the economy can keep chugging,” McNally said.
”But, if we're back to those lag times of four and five days, then that’s where we'll see the problematic outcomes."
Right now, Roussin said test turnaround times are under the target of 48 hours, and as volumes go up, work is happening to hold it there.
Other fundamentals to follow this time of year, according to Roussin, are hand-washing and mask-wearing, as well as getting both the influenza and COVID-19 vaccinations.
Roussin noted sampling is being done for some respiratory viruses, including rhinovirus, but most symptomatic tests are for COVID-19.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
For the first time in report's history, Canada's air quality worse than U.S.
Thanks to wildfires, air quality in Canada is now worse than in the U.S., according to the 6th Annual World Air Quality Report.
A newspaper says video of Prince William and Kate should halt royal rumour mill. That's a tall order
Prince William and his wife Catherine have been filmed at a farm shop near their Windsor home, The Sun newspaper reported -- the first footage of Kate since she had abdominal surgery for an unspecified condition two months ago.
'You ask for your money, they disappear': Ontario man loses $17K to AI crypto scam
A Toronto man is spreading the word of a cryptocurrency scam that lures victims using AI-generated news sites after he lost $17,000 in investments.
DEVELOPING Canada's annual inflation rate ticked down to 2.8 per cent in February, defying expectations
Statistics Canada says the annual inflation rate edged down to 2.8 per cent in February.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.