Physician expects new COVID-19 variants every few months: 'Whole world is a petri dish'
An emergency room physician in Toronto is warning that COVID-19 variants will continue to "mutate endlessly" as the Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 are poised to become the dominant strains of the virus.
"The whole world's a petri dish," Dr. Kashif Pirzada told CTV News Channel on Thursday. "We're going to have these waves every two to three months."
Pirzada urged people who are gathering to consider using rapid tests before attending gatherings, and to hold any get-togethers outdoors, but also urged Canadian governments to take action ahead of a rise in cases.
"We really need to change strategy."
Watch the full interview by clicking the video at the top of this article.
COVID-19 COVERAGE
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Feds quietly change rules to allow one-time ArriveCAN exemption at land border crossings
The Canadian Border Services Agency is temporarily allowing fully vaccinated travellers a one-time exemption to not be penalized if they were unaware of the health documents required through ArriveCan.

Prosecutor: Stab attack on Salman Rushdie was 'preplanned'
The man accused in the stabbing attack on Salman Rushdie pleaded not guilty Saturday to attempted murder and assault charges in what a prosecutor called a 'preplanned' crime, as the renowned author of 'The Satanic Verses' remained hospitalized with serious injuries.
Average rent up more than 10% in July from previous year, report says
Average rent in Canada for all properties rose more than 10 per cent year-over-year in July, according to a recent nationwide analysis of listings on Rentals.ca.
More than 10,000 Canadians received a medically-assisted death in 2021: report
More Canadians are ending their lives with a medically-assisted death, says the third federal annual report on medical assistance in dying (MAID). Data shows that 10,064 people died in 2021 with medical aid, an increase of 32 per cent over 2020.
LAPD ends investigation into Anne Heche car crash
The Los Angeles Police Department has ended its investigation into Anne Heche's car accident, when the actor crashed into a Los Angeles home on Aug. 5.
Canadian literary figures double down on free speech following Salman Rushdie attack
Canadian writers, publishers and literary figures doubled down on the right to freedom of thought and expression on Saturday, one day after an attack on award-winning author Salman Rushdie that left him hospitalized and on a ventilator.
FBI seized 'top secret' documents from Trump home
The FBI recovered documents that were labelled 'top secret' from former U.S. President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, according to court papers released Friday after a federal judge unsealed the warrant that authorized the unprecedented search this week.
140 lightning-caused wildfires detected in B.C. over last 3 days, service says
Lightning has sparked more than 100 new wildfires in British Columbia since Wednesday, as thunderstorms rolled through the provincial Interior.
Canadian Blood Services in talks around paid donations of plasma as supply dwindles
Canadian Blood Services says it is in talks with companies that pay donors for plasma as it faces a decrease in collections.