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Cases and severity While much of the country has been in holiday mode, COVID case numbers have exploded. Ontario reported 18,455 cases of COVID-19 on New Year’s Day, the fourth day in a row counts broke daily records for positive infections. In Quebec, 17,122 new cases were reported on Saturday. Hospitalizations continue to rise, resulting in a decision by the provincial government to ban private gatherings and impose a curfew between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. New record tallies were posted this past week by British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. Meanwhile, health officials in Nunavut extended a "circuit-breaker" lockdown, saying Wednesday that a rise in COVID-19 infections was pushing the territory's health-care system to a breaking point. But there is some hope. A series of recently released studies, from the United Kingdom and Ontario, suggest the Omicron variant, which has been driving positive case surges, might cause less severe illness than Delta, the previous top contender. While booster shot eligibility continues to expand, vaccination, even with only two doses, seems to help protect against the most serious outcomes. Global News took a look at the studies and what the U.K.'s experience might be able to teach us about what to expect as Canada's Omicron wave continues. 
Isolation periods changing, testing shortages The Public Health Agency of Canada continues to recommend that people who test positive for COVID-19 should isolate for a minimum of 10 days from the onset of symptoms or from the date they test positive, if asymptomatic. However, health officials in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and N.B. have reduced the isolation period from 10 to five days for people who are fully vaccinated. After five days and improvement in their symptoms for at least 24 hours, they can end the isolation period. For people who are unvaccinated, the isolation period remains 10 days. Meanwhile, COVID tests are increasingly hard to come by in many parts of Canada. Some local health units are even suggesting that if you have symptoms, you should act like you have COVID-19 and self-isolate, even without a test confirmation. The provinces have been scaling back PCR testing except for people who are hospitalized, healthcare workers and people at high risk. That means many people who may have COVID won’t be tested, and won’t be included in official case counts. If you can't get a test, what should you do if you think you might have caught the virus? Global News national online reporter Rachel Gilmore asked health experts for advice. 
Q: How long after I was exposed to Omicron might I start showing symptoms? When can I expect to test positive? "Generally the data would suggest that the average incubation period for SARS-CoV-2 is five days, with a range of three to 14 days," said Dr. Stephanie Smith, an infectious diseases specialist and professor at the University of Alberta. "There is some preliminary data suggesting the average incubation period with the Omicron variant may be slightly shorter – an average of three to four days – but I think we need larger cohort data to really give us an accurate picture," she said. "We think people generally start to shed virus (so it is detectable) about 24 to 48 hours prior to symptom onset, so a sensitive PCR test would be positive within 24 hours of symptom onset. "The rapid tests have about a 60 to 70 per cent sensitivity in picking up the virus, so they are not perfect but if you remain asymptomatic throughout this period and testing is negative, it is unlikely you are infected. If you do develop symptoms and testing is negative with a rapid test, I would highly advise going for a PCR test." If you're curious about the Omicron variant, here's everything we know so far, in one handy package from the Globalnews.ca team. | 
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