No. of flu cases decreasing while Covid-19 cases rising, says Toronto Public Health
by The Canadian Parvasi
According to the latest data presented by Toronto Public Health (TPH), while cases of influenza seem to be going down, cases of Covid-19 are currently on the rise.
“In recent weeks, COVID case activity has steadily increased while flu case activity has significantly decreased…We will continue to monitor, of course, to see how this continues,” stated Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa while presenting the latest statistics.
RSV, the third respiratory illness that saw a steep surge in Canada in the past few months, seemed to be at seasonal levels, the data indicated.
The data, collected up to January 10, stated that 17% of all tests for Covid-19 in Toronto came back positive. Previous data by Toronto Public Health recorded the province’s positivity rate at 13.6%, about 4% lower.
Speaking of the XBB.1 subvariant, De Villa stated,” At this point, levels in Ontario remain low.”
XBB.1 (including XBB.1.5) represented 2.3% of all positive cases, according to Toronto Public Health.
“No indication to-date that XBB infection leads to higher rates of serious illness. Existing layers of protection continue to reduce the risk of severe outcomes,” the update stated.