New data revealing Omicron tsunami is a reality check, researchers say

New data is revealing how hard hit Canada was by the Omicron variant, with some researchers calling the Omicron wave a tsunami.

Researchers with the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force of Canada who tested blood samples for both vaccine and infection antibodies estimate more than half of Canadians have had the virus.

"That's 100,000 infections a day since January," said Dr. Bruce Mazer, the associate scientific director of strategy for the task force. "That's over 17 million people if you project out who've been infected. That's like half the population of Canada."

The analysis found the increase in infection rates happened in men, women and children in every province.

Using blood donations made through Canadian Blood Services, the task force found young adults had the highest levels of antibodies from infection at 65 per cent. The statistic went down in older age groups.

Mazer said this research is a reality check as the country moves into a phase of the pandemic where there are no government interventions, and the most transmissible version of the virus is circulating.

"It's not over... by the very fact that this is super infectious, so many people have been affected, it is doing harm to the economy based on the number of people who have to miss work, the number of people who have to miss school, the number of people who have to take time off for their kids," he said. "So the impact is still there."

The task force said COVID-19 does not appear to have a seasonal pattern and Omicron is still spreading. The current variant is BA.5 which Mazer said is different enough from the original strain for reinfection.

He said masking and distancing are smart in risky settings and all Canadians should stay up to date on COVID-19 vaccines

Mazer said the task force will continue its work at least until late 2023. So far the group, which was put together by the federal government, has supported more than 100 studies.