Toronto is moving from trying to eradicate COVID-19 to learning to live with the virus while minimizing its negative impacts — just as we do every year with influenza, says public health chief Dr. Eileen de Villa. She told reporters at a Friday briefing that public health officials around the world are concluding that, given how many people are being infected with COVID-19’s Omicron variant, a “COVID zero strategy” no longer makes sense. You may see some flare-ups over time,” that will strain the health system and kill some people, she said. Limiting publicly funded PCR tests to high-risk individuals, such as health-care workers, who are symptomatic or at high risk of severe illness means Toronto Public Health is tracing the contacts of a much smaller group who test positive. “There are people who are frustrated, I understand that,” Mayor John Tory said, adding that city crews did “very well” given the 55-centimetre dump.

Source: thestar January 29, 2022 03:57 UTC