The weather's getting colder, the kids are back at school, people are returning to work, and that means we're probably going to see more Covid. How much more depends on things like the efficacy and uptake of the new Omicron-specific vaccine, and people's adherence to preventative measures. With little appetite for the reinstatement of lockdowns, school closures or mask mandates, it may now be incumbent on individuals to make good choices to protect themselves and their loved ones. 

So what does it mean that provincial governments seem to have unilaterally decided that the pandemic is over? Without freely available data on Covid cases and deaths, how will we even know the level of risk in the community? And with the increasing specificity of Covid vaccines, could this be the last back-to-school where we even need to ask these questions? 

GUEST: Dr. Raywat Deonandan, Global Health Epidemiologist, and Associate Professor with the Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences at The University of Ottawa

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