With COVID-19 cases rising again, vaccines appear to remain effective even against the Delta variant, according to a new report from the Public Health Agency of Canada.
The rate of new cases is 12 times higher among the unvaccinated compared to fully vaccinated individuals, PHAC said Friday. The rate of hospitalization is 36 times higher for unvaccinated people.
Officials highlighted the need for more people to get vaccinated – particularly among people aged 18 to 39 years old, who lag behind other age groups.
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If we maintain current public health measures and don’t accelerate vaccination, the fourth wave of COVID-19 could result in 10,000 cases across Canada by mid-September, PHAC’s estimates found.
Canada reported around 640 cases on average per day in late July, when PHAC last issued an update, officials said. Now, it’s closer to 3,500 per day. Hospitalizations are also starting to rise, with the seven-day average number of hospitalizations more than doubling since the last update.
But with more vaccination, officials say that the pandemic’s growth could be slowed.
More to come.