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Omicron may have peaked, but caution still needed Omicron may have peaked in Canada — but “prudence” is still crucial as the future of the COVID-19 pandemic remains uncertain, the country’s top doctor says. During a federal COVID-19 update Friday, Dr. Theresa Tam said she was “cautiously optimistic” but warned hospitalizations continue to rise. Tam’s comments come as some provinces like Ontario are changing their approach to the pandemic. Ontario’s chief medical officer, Dr. Kieran Moore, said Thursday it’s time to “learn to live” with the virus as he anticipated a better spring. Asked whether the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) would echo that advice, Tam said while she’s hopeful Omicron will become more manageable, it's too early to say what the months ahead will hold as we await more data on the longevity of natural immunity. Global News reporter Craig Lord has more here. 
What we know about BA.2, the Omicron subvariant Health officials are keeping a close watch on a new subvariant of the Omicron COVID-19 variant that has been detected in some countries, including Canada. Canada’s top doctor, Dr. Theresa Tam said Friday at least 100 cases of the BA.2 variant have been identified in the country. That’s up from the 51 cases PHAC confirmed to Global News earlier in the week. The health agency said the cases were mainly among international travellers. Tam said the new subvariant may be more transmissible and was being monitored in Canada “very closely.” But experts say there’s not enough hard data yet on how transmissible BA.2 is, or whether it causes more severe illness. They also say it’s likely current vaccines will offer some protection against subvariants. Global News reporter Saba Aziz has more here on what we know — and don’t know — about BA.2 so far. 
Q: I recently had a mild COVID infection — most likely Omicron. Will I still have the same level of natural immunity to the virus as I would have had my symptoms been more severe? Severity of infection isn’t a predictor of the level of immunity you have post-infection, according to infectious disease specialist Dr. Gerald Evans. “One issue with post-Omicron immunity is that it does not appear to provide immunity to previous variants like Delta and Alpha,” he says. Although immunity after infection is the ideal scenario, some viral infection disrupts the process of long-term immunity, Dr. Horacio Bach, an infectious diseases expert at the University of British Columbia, told Global News. “Each of us will generate similar antibodies but not necessarily to the same extent,” he said. “Then, the body will mount an immunological response upon the infection that probably will be similar even if your symptoms are more severe.” | 
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