Is the pandemic still a thing to Canadians?

Canada has approved a Moderna vaccine tailored to fight the Omicron variant of COVID-19. But are Canadians already over the pandemic?

BACKGROUND: Canada approves Moderna’s Omicron COVID vaccine

“I think people are over and done with it,” said one individual who spoke with CityNews. “I don’t think people are like ‘ooh, it’s gone now entirely’ but I think in general, we’ve just gotten comfortable with ‘it is happening’, but it’s also like – at this point, not as threatening as it used to be – or at least for some people. But I think we’re just comfortable now.”

He says it’s been seven or eight months since he’s been asked for proof of vaccination, and masking isn’t something he does on a regular basis.

“Sometimes I mean if I’m on the subway or public transport in general, I might wear it just to feel safer, but otherwise I’m pretty comfortable now.”

Canadians are far from unanimous on this though – a woman CityNews spoke with says she’s still masking anytime she’s indoors, and sometimes when she’s outdoors as well.

“I don’t mind what other people do, but I’m mindful of me and my family, so we’re just keeping it safe for me – and it doesn’t bother me at all,” she explained.

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It’s a message echoed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who underlined the possibility of another wave.

“COVID’s not done with us yet. We might want to be done with it, but it’s still around. And yes we have a lot more tools, a lot more understanding, a lot more knowledge of how to keep us and our loved ones safe, and it’s allowed us to get back to regular life in a lot of ways for a whole bunch of people,” said Trudeau. “But we also know as winter comes, and people get pushed back indoors, there’s a real risk of another serious wave of COVID.”

Despite this, Canadians seem to be tiring of the message.

Less than half of the population has a third dose booster and just over 12 per cent of Canadians have a fourth dose. Public Health however is still urging people to get whatever booster is available.

Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Theresa Tam states, “If the bivalent booster is not readily available, an original mRNA COVID-19 vaccine should be offered to ensure timely protection. Both the original & bivalent COVID-19 vaccine are effective as a booster.”

-With files from Xiao Li