Health workers across Canada, exhausted from two years of battling a pandemic, are dreading what the next wave of COVID-19 could bring.
The country is seeing a sharp rise new in infections, a large proportion of which are Omicron cases.
But COVID-19 hospitalizations remain generally stable — for now.
According to Dr. Gerald Evans, we won’t be able to see the true impact of Omicron “for at least two or perhaps three weeks after those cases rise."
"And we're just getting to that point right now,” he said. “There’s still unfortunately time for us to sort of see that surge of cases, that might be related to Omicron, having to come into hospital for their care, but we haven't seen it to this point.”
Experts point to countries like Spain, where there has been a sharp increase in hospitalizations. But in South Africa, where scientists first identified the Omicron variant, hospitalizations are now dropping quickly.
Currently, Ontario's positivity rate is 9.7 per cent. It hasn’t been that high since May 3, when 889 people were in the ICU, and 16 deaths were reported. Right now, there are 164 patients in the ICU, and zero deaths were reported Monday.
The uncertainty of whether Omicron will spur more hospitalizations is keeping health-care workers on edge.
Compounding this is the vast majority of Canadian hospitals are already filled with Delta patients, with more still coming in for care.
There’s also been an increase in people with other health problems like heart attacks and strokes.
And health-care workers themselves are in short supply, burned out and fearful of what could be coming.
Eram Chhogala, a trauma nurse, told CTV News that she is dreading this next wave.
“What's going to happen next, is it going to be worse, is it going to be the same, what are we expecting?” she said. “And I think the other thing is, is our backup plan enough for the next surge of the variant?”
At least one Toronto hospital has cancelled non-essential surgery, offering only emergency care — with more likely to follow.
Manitoba, where ICUs are already full, is getting half a dozen extra nurses. But there are still some 2,200 vacancies to fill.
Across Canada, health-care workers are retiring or on stress leave, overwhelmed from two years of the pandemic.
“What scares me the most is that staff will be at a point where those who you need in the ICUs and other areas of the health-care system will not be able to perform their work,” Paul-Émile Cloutier, President and CEO of HealthCareCAN, told CTV News.
Whether or not Omicron will bring a huge rise in hospitalizations or not isn’t fully clear yet. But hospital workers are on the alert anyway.
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
Prosecutors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump asked Thursday for the former president to be held in contempt and fined because of seven social media posts that they said violated a judge's gag order barring him from attacking witnesses.
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
In the Indian general election that gets underway on Friday, almost a billion people are eligible to vote, but a vast majority of the overseas Indian community in Canada won't be casting a ballot.
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
The challenges facing home buyers mean it's all the more important to do research and negotiate on rates, mortgage experts say, though they also caution that there's more to focus on than just what looks like the cheapest upfront option.
The judge presiding over the trial of a man accused of fatally running over a Toronto police officer is set to continue her instructions to the jury today.
The Alberta government will detail on Thursday measures it’s taking to ensure electricity is more affordable.
In the Indian general election that gets underway on Friday, almost a billion people are eligible to vote, but a vast majority of the overseas Indian community in Canada won't be casting a ballot.
Around 100 members of the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers plan to hold a protest in Abbotsford, B.C., today.
As Saskatchewan teachers prepare to vote on a tentative agreement reached with the province, it could mark the end of a labour dispute that stretches back nearly a year.
The design for a new memorial in Kamloops, B.C., has been released, nearly four years after a deadly Canadian Forces Snowbird plane crash.
U.S. President Joe Biden will accept endorsements from at least 15 members of the Kennedy political family during a campaign stop in Philadelphia on Thursday as he aims to undermine Donald Trump and marginalize the candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Reuters photographer Mohammed Salem captured this year's prestigious World Press Photo of the Year award Thursday with a depiction of loss and sorrow in Gaza, a heartrending photo of a Palestinian woman cradling the body of her young niece.
A girl who was seized from her school along with hundreds others during a raid by extremists ten years ago in northeastern Nigeria has been rescued together with her three children, the Nigerian army said Thursday.
One of the most prominent figures in the far-right Alternative for Germany party went on trial Thursday on charges of using a Nazi slogan, months before a regional election in which he is running to become his state's governor.
A strong earthquake that struck southwestern Japan left nine people with minor injuries and caused damage such as burst water pipes and small landslides, authorities said Thursday. But there was no danger of a tsunami.
The mayor of Copenhagen said Thursday that she has been in touch with her Paris counterpart to see what could be learned from the reconstruction of the Notre Dame cathedral in the French capital, after a fire devastated the Danish city's 400-year-old stock exchange building.
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Foreign aid groups are hailing the federal Liberal government's return to a policy of increasing humanitarian and development spending each year, while asking for a plan to push allies to reverse a global decline in aid.
The Ottawa Hospital is hoping artificial intelligence will help reduce physician burnout and increase access to care for patients.
Progress has been made on a new compensation model for family doctors, with the Alberta Medical Association (AMA) hopeful for a fall rollout.
A Winnipeg man is raising a red flag after his landlord said no to health-care equipment that could change his life – a problem he believes is a human rights issue.
New archeological investigations in Guatemala reveal that the ancient Maya people had a ritual of burning royal human remains as a public display of political regime change.
More than 5,500 years ago, two women were tied up and probably buried alive in a ritual sacrifice, using a form of torture associated today with the Italian Mafia, according to an analysis of skeletons discovered at an archeological site in southwest France.
There are a lot of risks when it comes to adolescents using screens — and a new multinational study shows weight-related bullying may be among them.
Congratulations are in order for singer Ashanti and rapper Nelly. The reunited couple have gone public with both a pregnancy and their engagement.
The Sundance Film Festival may not always call Park City, Utah, home. The Sundance Institute has started to explore the possibility of other U.S. locations to host the independent film festival starting in 2027, the organization said Wednesday.
Eight-year-old songwriter Zuri Hamilton from Miramichi, N.B., got to show off her talent on 'The Kelly Clarkson Show' on Monday.
Solving a longstanding construction worker shortage will be key to boosting housing supply, experts say, as Canada's national housing agency continues to forecast housing start levels that fall short of growing demand.
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
The challenges facing home buyers mean it's all the more important to do research and negotiate on rates, mortgage experts say, though they also caution that there's more to focus on than just what looks like the cheapest upfront option.
Ten beagles rescued from animal testing in the United States arrived in Alberta on Wednesday, thanks to a Canadian charity.
Molly Knight, a grade four student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
A Celebrity Apex cruise to the Caribbean this month turned into a rocking Newfoundland kitchen party when hundreds of people from Canada's easternmost province happened to be booked on the same ship.
The NFL draft will be offensive. We’re not talking about hurt feelings. This draft has the potential to set a record for most offensive players selected in the first round.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
Calls for action against Israel in international soccer because of the conflict with Hamas will be stepped up by Palestinian officials at the annual FIFA congress next month.
Tesla will ask shareholders to reinstate a US$55 billion compensation package for CEO Elon Musk that was rejected by a judge in Delaware this year and to move the electric car maker's corporate home from Delaware to Texas.
Tesla has hit a series of roadblocks, including increased competition and declining sales. The company announced Monday it is slashing 10 per cent of its global workforce.
A driver from London will have to find alternative transportation after an OPP officer clocked them travelling nearly 200 km/h on Highway 401 over the weekend.
Molly Knight, a grade four student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
When Les Robertson was walking home from the gym in North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood three weeks ago, he did a double take. Standing near a burrow it had dug in a vacant lot near East 1st Street and St. Georges Avenue was a yellow-bellied marmot.
A moulting seal who was relocated after drawing daily crowds of onlookers in Greater Victoria has made a surprise return, after what officials described as an 'astonishing' six-day journey.
Just steps from Parliament Hill is a barber shop that for the last 100 years has catered to everyone from prime ministers to tourists.
A high score on a Foo Fighters pinball machine has Edmonton player Dave Formenti on a high.
A compound used to treat sour gas that's been linked to fertility issues in cattle has been found throughout groundwater in the Prairies, according to a new study.
While many people choose to keep their medical appointments private, four longtime friends decided to undergo vasectomies as a group in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.
A popular highway in Alberta's Banff National Park now has a 'no stopping zone' to help protect two bears.
The design for a new memorial in Kamloops, B.C., has been released, nearly four years after a deadly Canadian Forces Snowbird plane crash.
Around 100 members of the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers plan to hold a protest in Abbotsford, B.C., today.
The B.C. government will be making an announcement Thursday about incoming short-term rental rules.
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Gas prices jumped an average of 14 cents per litre overnight in the GTA, climbing to levels not seen in nearly two years as the switch from winter fuel to a more expensive summer blend pushes up the price at the pumps.
A man has been taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries following an industrial accident in Mississauga.
Two people are in hospital and police are investigating a fight between a man and a woman in Forest Lawn early Thursday morning.
The Alberta government will detail on Thursday measures it’s taking to ensure electricity is more affordable.
Alberta's toxic drug death toll has been blamed on a worsening "addiction crisis" and “soaring addiction rates for opioids and other substances,” but data shows no increase in rates of substance use disorders over last decade.
One person is dead following an overnight crash on Hwy. 417 in Ottawa's east end. The westbound lanes of the Queensway are closed between Innes Road and the Hwy. 174 split.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with Mayor Mark Sutcliffe at Ottawa City Hall on Thursday, for a meeting to discuss municipal-federal issues.
Canadians for Affordable Energy president Dan McTeague says gas prices will drop 4 cents a litre on Friday, one day after prices increased 14 cents a litre.
Motorists are facing higher prices in many parts of Quebec as gas stations switch from winter to summer gasoline.
François Legault still doesn't know the price of a 4 1/2 apartment in Montreal, three years after getting bogged down on the issue.
PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon isn't shying away from criticism that comments he made referencing Canada's colonial past were an inappropriate way to push his party's sovereignty agenda.
The first weekly wildfire status update from government officials will be provided Thursday.
The Alberta government will detail on Thursday measures it’s taking to ensure electricity is more affordable.
Cool air has settled in over the province and it'll be here for a few more days.
Light rain and showers will develop for New Brunswick Saturday morning with a chance of showers in southwestern Nova Scotia and western Prince Edward Island.
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Seven people are facing charges under the federal Cannabis Act after peace officers with the Department of Justice and Public Safety seized contraband from dispensaries in Saint John, Riverview, and Moncton, N.B., earlier this month.
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
A Winnipeg man is raising a red flag after his landlord said no to health-care equipment that could change his life – a problem he believes is a human rights issue.
The Winnipeg Police Service have blocked off some roads in the city’s North End as they investigate a serious assault on Thursday morning.
As Saskatchewan teachers prepare to vote on a tentative agreement reached with the province, it could mark the end of a labour dispute that stretches back nearly a year.
Attendees are concerned the provincial government is not properly consulting First Nations on a number of issues such as hunting and trapping laws, crown land sales, as well as forestry and environmental affairs.
No one was hurt in a house fire in Regina's North Central area Wednesday night, Regina Fire said.
People living in the community of Ayr say they are dealing with a safety concern due to transport trucks travelling through their downtown.
Pizza and coffee wasn’t what Jeet Shergill was expecting to order on his lunch break, but he saw the posters of the new menu item at Tim Hortons and decided to give it a shot.
A woman from Guelph, who allegedly tried to obtain credit fraudulently at Conestoga Mall, is now facing 42 charges.
As Saskatchewan teachers prepare to vote on a tentative agreement reached with the province, it could mark the end of a labour dispute that stretches back nearly a year.
The woman accused of hitting and killing a child while driving under the influence of THC was called to the stand on Wednesday.
A former massage therapist who pleaded guilty to a string of sexual assaults has had his day parole revoked.
WARNING: Please be aware that some details of this story are upsetting. An animal cruelty investigation is underway in northern Ontario after a box of dead puppies was found at a landfill site, police say.
A northern Ont. city councillor says she fears many women will go without the proper health care after town loses access to mobile cancer screening.
The body of a missing man has been found after his vehicle was pulled into a northern creek on Saturday morning, Ontario Provincial Police say.
Just before 9 p.m., officers used a search warrant at a home in the 300 block of Wellington St. near Stuart Street where three people were arrested.
According to the London Police Service (LPS), a 35-year-old Constable who lives in Woodstock was arrested and charged with impaired driving.
The rapid pace of infrastructure needed to build the largest factory in Canada continues.
Provincial police are investigating after a man's body washed up on the shores of Lake Couchiching in Severn Township.
Tim Hortons Roll Up The Rim contest may be in hot water yet again after several customers received emails falsely congratulating them on winning the Tracker boat worth nearly $60,000.
A multi-vehicle collision involving a semi-truck snarled traffic in Barrie on Wednesday afternoon.
Windsor police have seized nearly $42,000 in illegal drugs after raiding a psilocybin dispensary. Around 4 p.m. on Tuesday, police used a search warrant at the business in the 300 block of Ouellette Ave. near University Avenue.
Morgan Hurt shares a birthday with her grandfather, Bruce Rand – but it’s the fact both have received life-saving organ donations that has really solidified their special bond.
Many made a dash to the pumps because experts say the price of gas is set to rise Thursday.
The British Columbia government is encouraging anglers to pack their tackle boxes and head out to a remote lake on Vancouver Island as the province attempts to eradicate an invasive population of sport fish.
The B.C. government will be making an announcement Thursday about incoming short-term rental rules.
Evan Jamieson’s nine-year-old son Oliver has thrived at Mill Bay Nature School in Mill Bay, B.C., despite all of his challenges.
A banana ball python that was stolen from a Kelowna pet store on Saturday has been returned unharmed, Mounties said.
Nurses held a rally Wednesday at a hospital in the B.C. Interior that closed its emergency department more than a dozen times last year due to insufficient staff.
British Columbia is planning to add 240 new units to its complex-care housing program, providing homes for people with mental-health and addictions challenges that overlap with other serious conditions.
Three men who helped lead and co-ordinate the 2022 border blockade at Coutts, Alta., have been found guilty of public mischief.
Lethbridge police have arrested a Vermilion, Alta., man in connection with a 'grandparent scam' that took aim at a local senior.
An Alberta woman was killed in a multi-vehicle crash on a highway north of Coaldale, Alta., on Wednesday morning.
A 65-year-old northern Ontario woman says her winning lottery scratch ticket is the best present she has ever received.
A northern Ont. city councillor says she fears many women will go without the proper health care after town loses access to mobile cancer screening.
For the next several months, the City of Sault Ste. Marie will be cracking down on people who improperly use accessible parking spaces.
A Celebrity Apex cruise to the Caribbean this month turned into a rocking Newfoundland kitchen party when hundreds of people from Canada's easternmost province happened to be booked on the same ship.
A pricing agreement has been reached between crab fishers and seafood processors that will allow for Newfoundland and Labrador's annual crab fishery to get started.
Longliners across Newfoundland and Labrador are tied up once again, as a new protest by the province's fish harvesters threatens to derail the crab fishery for a second straight year.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.
