Canada’s chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam and deputy chief public health officer Dr. Howard Njoo said Friday they were continuing to monitor the upcoming respiratory illness season as it will likely correspond with the COVID-19 pandemic and how it might impact health care capacity.
Tam said provinces have “overplanned” for influenza and other respiratory viruses and its impact on the health system, but she is keeping an eye to see if current COVID-19 measures like increased hand washing could reduce the risk of these other illnesses..