Too early to predict if emergence of Omicron variant will mean more lockdowns for Mississauga, Brampton, and Caledon

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Published December 1, 2021 at 3:29 pm

lockdown

With the emergence of a new strain of the COVID-19 virus, the Omicron variant, some are concerned this holiday season could look similar to last year’s, which occurred during a province-wide lockdown.

According to Dr. Lawrence Loh, Medical Officer of Health for the Region of Peel, it’s too early to say what the discovery of the new variant means for residents of Brampton, Mississauga, and Caledon.

“We don’t necessarily know what the potential impact of Omicron is going to be,” Dr. Loh said during a press conference on Wednesday (December 1). “We’re still in the early days, when it comes to the science of Omicron.”

While he didn’t make a prediction regarding whether residents should expect the return of restrictions due to the emergence of this new variant, Dr. Loh did point out the percentage of vaccinated residents in Brampton continues to increase, and even if the variant is resistant to the vaccine, it’s extremely unlikely current vaccines would be completely ineffective.

“At this point in time, thanks to the incredible work of our community, our trends continue to remain stable,” he said. “Even if the effect of the vaccine is diminished with Omicron, it likely won’t be diminished completely.”

He also pointed out that it’s unlikely the virus will be going away completely any time soon, as much of the global population remains unvaccinated, which allows for the continued emergence of new variants.

“This is why the best thing people can do for themselves is make it a priority to get vaccinated,” he said.

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