Toronto Star - Omicron deadlier for Ontario seniors than previous two waves combined

Even as Ontario began reopening its economy and returning to some semblance of normalcy this year, COVID-19 was wreaking havoc on the lives of older residents. New data shows the Omicron variant was killing adults age 60 and older at higher rates than the past two waves, Kenyon Wallace, Megan Ogilvie and May Warren write for the Toronto Star.

The fact that seniors are the ones most likely to experience severe illness and death if they contract Omicron underscores the importance of getting fully vaccinated and boosted, says Dr. Samir Sinha, NIA Director of Health Policy Research. “I’ve seen a lot more of my older patients, after being vigilant for two years, now being told all these messages that the pandemic is almost over, and then all of a sudden they’re getting COVID. I’m not surprised that we’re seeing again the majority of the deaths that are occurring are amongst older people, because we know that they’ve always been the most vulnerable.”