Canada on the eve of the fourth wave of COVID-19
What will trigger a new attack of coronavirus infection?
Experts point to several factors that are expected to cause a new Crown attack on Canada: the spread of the Delta strain to unvaccinated residents, the opening of borders, school visits and the emergence of new viral mutations.
What to expect from the fourth wave?
The impact of the fourth wave of coronavirus infection in Canada will be largely determined by the level of collective immunity to COVID-19. There are already many among the population who have been double vaccinated, and doctors expect that this may go some way to prevent infection and hospital overcrowding of people who carry the disease severely.
More than 1.4 million cases of COVID-19 infection have been reported in Canada so far, but only 2.6% of Canadians were found to have antibodies to the variant of the coronavirus infection that hit the country back in early 2021.
"The question is, does the population have sufficient immunity? No." said Raivat Deonandan, a global health epidemiologist and associate professor at the University of Ottawa, "The reason is that we measure collective immunity by the number of people who are cured and the number of vaccinations. And that approach to defining collective immunity is wrong.
The threat of a Delta attack
A serious point that could trigger a major shockwave is the spread of the more contagious and potentially more deadly Delta strain, which is already leading to new COVID-19 outbreaks around the world.
"We know, for example, from observations in the UK, that the Delta virus is able to affect unvaccinated people very quickly. They are at very, very high risk," commented Dr Dominic Mertz, an infectious disease doctor and assistant professor of medicine at McMaster University.
Open borders
Canada may also be at increased risk of exposure to the Delta strain due to opening its borders, first to travelers from the United States and then from other countries.
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