Speaking to reporters during a briefing on the pandemic on Tuesday, Tam also stressed the need to boost a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine to prevent serious outbreaks of the disease.
“Let me just point out all over Canada, no matter where you are, it’s very likely the Omicron variant, the BA.2 subcategory, is spreading quite widely in your community.  “So no matter where you are in Canada right now, I would advise you to get this booster vaccine, cover it and improve your ventilation,” he said.
Tam added that a cover-up order could dispel individual “speculation”, but acknowledged that provincial public health authorities were trying to encourage good habits without imposing them on people.
“I think in different communities, depending on the context, social cohesion and other variables, each of these policies can work better under different conditions.  “But I think people want to see and trust that the population is able to use these levels of protection.”
Asked if the definition of “fully vaccinated” should be changed from two to three doses, Tam said it was an “ongoing debate”, but insisted on the importance of getting a third vaccine.
“I think the message today is to find out about your vaccination, which includes a booster for the general population for all the extensive purposes, ie 18 plus and [it] can also be offered to teenagers.  “So this is the most important message,” he said.
There has been a gradual increase in COVID-19 cases nationwide since the end of March.  However, officials say this was to be expected as some provinces have lifted restrictions on public health, including coverage requirements and proof of vaccination.
As test rates have dropped, local authorities are monitoring the prevalence of the virus through urban wastewater testing.  Nationwide, Tam said officials are trying to make more of this data public.
“We’re trying to provide this information about sewage test sites on a site, but I know we can do more as we begin to scale the benefits of this tool … Sewage data currently covers just over 60 percent population.  “We are trying to do better, to try to reach that 80 percent coverage, but it is not the easiest thing to interpret,” he said.
According to data monitored by CTVNews.ca, approximately 32.4 million first doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given, 31.2 million second doses have been given and 18.3 million third doses have been given.
Tam attributes Canada’s rather low rate of reinforcements to the fact that some Canadians may have felt that a third shot was unnecessary after the last drop in the case.  He also noted that the National Advisory Committee on Immunization continues to advise those who test positive for COVID-19 to wait three months before getting the vaccine.
“So I think some of these factors may play out because we do not get the level of momentum we see.  I also recognize that at the time of the initial campaign effort, it was at a very difficult time for vaccinators to become infected.  “We had absences from public health and the health system,” Tam said.