Canada will likely see rise in COVID cases by late August: infectious disease expert

New COVID variant: Bogoch on what to know Dr. Isaac Bogoch discusses the latest COVID-19 variant and what you need to know ahead of a possible rise in cases.

A new COVID-19 variant descended from the Omicron strain has emerged and an infectious disease expert believes that Canada will likely see a rise in cases by late August or early September.

"COVID really never went away," Dr. Isaac Bogoch, a Toronto-based infectious disease specialist, told CTV News Channel on Tuesday. "It's been waxing and waning for a while."

To date, the United Kingdom and United States have reported most cases of EG.5, but Bogoch says that Ontario has also detected cases for "several weeks now."

However, he says that it's unlikely Canada will see a surge of infections with the same severe impact as waves before 2022.

"I don't think people will notice anything different compared to more recent waves that we've seen."

What impact will the new variant have on Canadians? Bogoch warns that it will continue to affect those who are older or have underlying medical conditions.

Staying up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccinations remains a way to protect yourself against "severe manifestations" of the virus, he added

"The symptoms are likely very similar," Bogoch says. "The ways to prevent it are the same, we have the tools to do this."

Watch the full interview by clicking the video at the top of this article.