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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, F eb ru ar y 10 ,2 02 2 | 12 As we emerge from Omicron, Canada's top doctor says that the country needs to continue evolving its measures against COVID-19 and recognizing that the "virus is not going to disappear." "Further waves will occur. Some will ac- tually be quite severe or disruptive. We need to be ready for them," Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer, said in a weekly briefing Feb. 4. She said the country will need to be able to address the ongoing presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in "a more sustainable way." "We do need to have more longer-term, sustained approaches and capacity-build- ing so that we're not in crisis mode all the time as we fight this virus," she said. Cases across the country are declining, but hospitalizations and ICU remain at a high level. In Halton, there were 65 patients being treated for the disease in hospitals as of Friday (Feb. 4), including 19 in ICU. The numbers were 80 and 19, respectively, the previous week. Last week, there were 28 additional deaths linked to the virus -- 16 in Burling- ton, six in Milton, three in Oakville, and three in Halton Hills. This brings the death toll to 319 since the start of the pandemic. Here's a look at weekly COVID news and cases. Metroland file photo WEEKLY ROUNDUP: TOP DOCTOR CALLS FOR 'SUSTAINABLE' MEASURES AGAINST COVID-19 BAMBANG SADEWO bsadewo@metroland.com NEWS SCAN THIS CODE to view COVID cases tracker.