Canada will ramp up supplies of rapid COVID-19 tests to the country’s 10 provinces as the Omicron variant of the coronavirus spreads rapidly, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday, promising better days ahead.
Most provinces have reimposed restrictions on businesses and gatherings amid warnings from medical professionals that healthcare systems could be swamped. Local authorities across the country are complaining about a shortage of rapid tests.
“There’s no magic bullet on this. None of us want to be here right now, but we know what to do,” Trudeau told a briefing, stressing the importance of vaccines and tests.
“We’re going to keep getting through this. There will be better days ahead,” he said.
Ottawa will deliver 140 million tests by the end of January, over and above the 120 million already distributed, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos told the briefing.
Official data show that as of Dec 18, 87.3% of people ages 12 and over had received two vaccine doses. Only 1.3% of children aged from 5 to 12 were fully inoculated.
Source :usnews