On Friday, Canada’s chief public health officer acknowledged that Omicron has taxed health-care capacity in ways that had never been seen during the crisis. “What is different about this wave compared to others is the absenteeism ... because of the infection rates and the high transmissibility of the Omicron wave,” Dr. Theresa Tam said. For that reason, some argue Ottawa should have acted quicker to help provinces boost this limited capacity during the pandemic. The procurement and delivery of rapid tests — the most sought-after pandemic supply as Omicron continued its ascent during the holidays — also fell to Ottawa. Papp said it took 10 months for Health Canada to approve his products.

Source: thestar January 23, 2022 09:34 UTC