Again this past week, we’ve been seeing the first signs of the Pandemic’s seasonal low coming to an end. That’s entirely expected, based both on normal seasonal patterns and the simple fact that new Canadian COVID infections had fallen to the lowest level that we can ever expect to see.
The Canada-wide municipal wastewater COVID testing curve shows a very slight week-to-week uptick. Likewise Ontario PCR COVID testing results, with positivity rates remaining well under 1%. COVID hospitalization and ICU bed occupancy rates climbed a bit more, but remain at historically low levels.
The more independent health statisticians at COVID-19 Resources Canada provided their monthly estimates, which currently rate the COVID risk in every province and territory as “moderate”. Their estimate of one in every 401 Ontarians being currently infected and therefore infectious is unchanged from the previous month.
Public Health Canada’s latest biweekly report on currently-circulating COVID variants shows the XFG family of Omicron variants having regained its clear dominance, accounting for more than 59% of all new Canadian infections. About a month ago, it had been briefly eclipsed by the PQ family, which is now down to less than 4%. All of the currently-circulating strains exhibit similar symptom severity.