The region's medical officer of health says there are a couple of path possibilities when coming out of a global pandemic.
During a recent teleconference, Dr. Sudit Ranade said there are three pandemic paths, one of which is not applicable.
"There's a boom and bust path which is it's here, it's fast, it goes away fast, and it's done. That path is no longer possible," said Ranade. "The second two paths are ones that we're still torn between and we're not sure."
One of the paths Ranade referred to was the "slow cooker" module that would see the outcome become less "consequential" over time.
"Global pandemics generally take about two years to resolve. So two to three years is the average timeline for a global pandemic to resolve," he said. "We are now 18 to 20 months into what we expect to be a two/ two and a half year process. That process, the [World Health Organization] is now saying is being prolonged by the fact that a lot of people in other countries do not have vaccines."
Ranade further explained that a third path, which would fall in between "boom and bust" and "slow cooker" would see the pandemic come and go.
"Coronavirus is here. It is a global pandemic, it is here with us to stay. The question is, is it going to become more like flu that we just integrate it into our lives, or is it going to be more like something that comes and goes? When it's around it's a big deal and when it isn't, it's not a big deal."
Meantime, while the push for residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19 continues, residents are also encouraged to consider getting the flu shot.
"It's important to remember that it's a good idea to get your flu shot especially as we think about a respiratory season that may be more severe than previous ones because we've had low levels of activity for the last year or two on that front," said Ranade.
The province announced its immunization campaign earlier this week. The flu shot will be available to the general population in November.
