24 September

Globally, the total confirmed cases of Covid-19 have exceeded 230,637,000 with more than 4,729,000 deaths reported.

The number of daily new infections in Canada has been steadily increasing since July, frequently exceeding 4,000 in recent weeks due to the spread of the Delta variant.

The country is set for its worst wave yet, as this upward trend in new cases is unlikely to change in the short term.

Even so, the number of deaths has not increased as sharply yet as vaccination might be playing a substantial role in reducing the severity of the disease.

At present, the country is experiencing its fourth wave of infections, with marked regional variation in the burden of disease.

Hospitals in Quebec, Ontario and Alberta are being stretched to capacity due to a surge in young unvaccinated patients.

Canada reached a major milestone of vaccinating 80% of its eligible population by using an unconventional strategy.

Due to vaccine shortages, people were allowed to space out doses longer than the manufacturers advised and take doses of two different vaccine types.

The impact that this will have on individual-level or population-level immunity to Covid-19 is unclear at this point.

However, at a time when evidence continues to emerge of waning vaccine immunity, longer dosing interval and mixing of vaccines is an important consideration in this context.

As daily new cases are still rising, a combination of continued vaccination efforts, strategically timed public health measures, and clear messaging from public health authorities will be necessary to curb infections.

In Denmark, new daily infections have been declining in recent weeks and currently stand at around 400 new cases per day.

Since March 2021, there have been fewer than five daily deaths in the country.

This is due to a successful vaccination campaign, in which almost 75% of the population has been fully vaccinated.

This month, the country has become the only European nation with no Covid-19 restrictions.

However, to minimize the risk of future Covid-19 outbreaks, the country will need to adapt its vaccination strategy and consider a booster campaign.

Tara Patel, MSc, Epidemiologist at GlobalData