Some words of caution from federal officials in this week’s COVID-19 update. Chief medical health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says while infections are still trending lower, there could be a resurgence when mask mandates are ended, adding masks are still a good first line of protection. “Even if it’s not required where you are, you can choose to wear a mask as a personal protection measure.” Saskatchewan’s indoor mask mandate ends Monday.

Dr. Tam adds that they continue to monitor the BA-2 sub lineage of the Omicron variant. It makes up about 10 per cent of the samples across the country. It doesn’t appear to be associated with more severe illness, and data from England where BA-2 is increasing, shows no indications of a difference in vaccine effectiveness compared to Omicron. At the same time, Tam says the BA-2 strain appears to be more transmissible.