As most provinces and territories lift COVID-19 public health measures, Canadians are left to assess their own risk levels amid signs of a sixth wave.

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, said last month that it is important to look at how many COVID-19 cases are in your community and the activity you are engaging in.

Tam said it is also important to consider your personal health status and whether you are close to people at greater risk, such as elderly parents or unvaccinated children.

Here are five ways to reduce risk:

First: Masks

Quebec and Prince Edward Island are the only two provinces extending their mask mandates until the end of the month.

Other provinces have opposed calls to reimpose public health restrictions, including mask mandates.

Tam pointed out that it is now a personal choice in most provinces.

Second: Vaccines

Vaccination rates vary across the country, but research has shown that vaccines can help reduce severe symptoms.

Some experts said this week that they are concerned that government messaging about the current state of the pandemic may affect people’s decisions to get additional doses.

Eligibility for fourth doses is expanding in some provinces after the National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommended that people aged 70 and over get a second booster dose.

Dr. Kelly Grindrod, assistant professor at the University of Waterloo’s School of Pharmacy, said: “It’s hard to motivate people to get boosters when they think things are on the right track.”

“And the question is, do we have to keep living through levels of disaster for people to stay engaged enough to protect themselves?”

Third: Online apps

More than a million people have turned to an online calculator created to help Canadians manage COVID-19 risks.

My COVID-19 Visit Risk Decision Aid, which is free online, was first created during the second wave of COVID-19 in fall 2020.

Dr. Sameer Sinha, director of health policy research at the National Institute on Aging, said: “People started asking these questions. ‘Is it safe to visit others? Are there safer ways to visit?’”

Sinha said the institute turned it into a three-minute risk scoring calculator through this app.

He said the tool can be a valuable resource as people navigate a sixth wave with few restrictions.

Sinha said: “We don’t guarantee anyone a safe personal visit. We’re just giving people a chance to understand how to make their visit safer.

“It’s about providing people with education and tools.”

Fourth: Wastewater data

Many cities are collecting and sharing information about COVID-19 based on wastewater data.

Kevin Francowski, executive director of Advancing Canadian Water Assets at the University of Calgary, said it is one piece of information people should take into account.

He said: “There are great advantages to wastewater monitoring. It is comprehensive. It doesn’t require the right testing policies or willingness to get tested.”

“It is also unbiased. Wastewater doesn’t lie.”

But he also said, “It is important to be cautious about the data. For example, he pointed out that wastewater data is rising while hospital admissions are declining in Alberta.”

He explained: “Both statements are true.” One possible explanation is that disease severity is decreasing. Infections are still present, but they don’t cause symptoms that make you go to the hospital.”

Fifth: Stay home when sick

Most provinces recommend staying home when sick.

In Alberta, for example, officials noted that a person infected with COVID-19 can spread the virus to others for up to 10 days.

The province’s website states: “The risk of spread among fully vaccinated people is lower after five days, but it still exists.”

The site adds that isolation helps prevent spread by reducing the number of people to whom you could transmit the disease by staying home and avoiding others.

Edited by: Dima Abu Khair