'The virus has changed': Virologist details risk as Manitoba enters the fourth wave
With Manitoba’s top doctor declaring that the province has entered the fourth wave, one virologist is urging people to get vaccinated to decrease the risk of the Delta variant.
“We know that we have to have immunity in our populations as high as possible for Delta,” said Dr. Jason Kindrachuk in an interview on Monday.
“And certainly, we already know that we’re a little bit behind the eight ball because kids under the age of 12 can’t be vaccinated, so we have to take that percentage off the top, so that doesn’t leave us a lot of room. Anywhere below that, we’re going to see transmission.”
Kindrachuk’s comments come after Manitoba health officials announced 366 new COVID-19 cases from Sept. 24 to Sept. 27.
Kindrachuk said these numbers concern him.
“We certainly know that Delta is moving through the unvaccinated very, very quickly,” he said.
“And it has a predilection for causing severe disease in those folks, because they don’t have any protection. So this is a very, very concerning time.”
Kindrachuk noted to reduce the risk of the Delta variant, which is highly transmissible, Manitobans need to get vaccinated.
This is of particular importance in the Southern Health Region, which has the lowest uptake in the province at just over 65 per cent.
“We need a concerted message from our elected officials basically speaking in concert with one another to try and basically get testing increased in these regions and certainly get vaccine uptake, and masking and distancing basically adhered to,” Kindrachuk said.
As for how many eligible Manitobans need to get fully vaccinated to mitigate the risk of the Delta variant, Kindrachuk said as many people as possible.
“The reality is the virus has changed,” he said.
“Viruses are unpredictable at the best of times, and certainly they do what they do very well. Delta, because of its transmissibility, has pushed that value up extremely high and we’re talking certainly between 90 to 100 per cent.”
When asked what could happen as Manitoba enters the fourth wave, Kindrachuk said he hopes we’re in a better position than other provinces due to the high vaccination rates in certain areas, including Winnipeg.
“Hopefully, that will mitigate some of the concerns,” he said. “We are still not at baseline in our hospitals, and that is a big concern.”
- With files from CTV’s Maralee Caruso.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.