Vaccines work but not only solution, experts warn

Federal politicians and medical experts warn that COVID-19 vaccines are helping but will not be the pandemic panacea.

Health Minister Patty Hajdu says even as vaccinations ramp up, workplaces and individuals need to keep doing everything they can to prevent the virus from spreading.

CORRECTION : En date d’aujourd’hui, 10 millions de vaccins contre la COVID-19 ont été livrés à travers le Canada. Voici comment nous travaillons avec les provinces et territoires pour protéger les communautés: pic.twitter.com/YLmWmYsJhn

— Patty Hajdu (@PattyHajdu) April 6, 2021

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer, says there is growing evidence that people who are hospitalized with variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 are needing intensive care at higher rates.

1/3 To date, ≥ 15,204 #VariantsOfConcern cases (↑3,552 since Apr. 1), including 14,010 (↑3,154) B.1.1.7, 857 (↑374) P.1 & 337 (↑24) B.1.351 variants have been reported, with numbers highest in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario & Quebec. https://t.co/IHyBa1lpr8

— Dr. Theresa Tam (@CPHO_Canada) April 6, 2021

She says in the last week the number of people admitted to hospital with COVID-19 rose four per cent while the number of new admissions to intensive care units grew 18 per cent.

2/3 Over the past 2 weeks, variants have increased by > 2.5 times, with a concerning rise in P.1 cases (857 cases vs. 124, ~7x higher). Thousands more #COVID19 cases have screened positive for mutations indicative of #VariantsOfConcern

— Dr. Theresa Tam (@CPHO_Canada) April 6, 2021

Over the last week, an average of 2,400 people were in hospital and 780 were in the ICU.

It means about one-third of patients currently hospitalized require intensive care, compared to less than one-fifth in mid-January, when hospitalizations during the second wave of the pandemic peaked.