Ontario has entered the sixth COVID-19 wave, doctors say
After more than two years fighting COVID-19, some medical experts in Ontario say the province has entered a sixth wave.
"There are more cases now than there were a week ago and two weeks ago," infectious disease expert Dr. Isaac Bogoch said Tuesday.
"We can call this a wave. We just don't know the size of the wave. But it's here."
Bogoch said Ontario should "watch the hospitalizations closely" over the next few weeks.
"We'll probably start to see early signs of hospitalizations rise in the coming week or two ahead," he said.
With access to PCR testing limited, the exact number of Ontarians infected with COVID-19 remains elusive. Using viral signals in wastewater, the province’s science advisory table puts the doubling rate at every 9.6 days.
Ontario health officials are reporting 790 people in hospital with COVID-19 on Tuesday, including 165 patients in intensive care.
Tuesday's hospitalizations mark a considerable increase over the 655 reported on Monday and the 553 reported on Sunday, although not all hospitals report patient data over the weekends.
The rise in hospitalizations is worrying to the CEO of the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario.
"If we are not careful, people that are waiting for surgeries and procedures will again be postponed because we don't have enough human resources in the system," Doris Grinspun said Tuesday.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health says the province has the tools to handle the impact of COVID-19.
“The latest modelling shows that our hospitals and health system can manage any of the projected scenarios, while not compromising our ability to continue addressing the surgical backlog caused by the pandemic,” Bill Campbell writes in a statement.
Campbell stresses that Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore expected key indicators to rise as restrictions lift and people spend more time together.
"Dr. Moore said this was going to happen … this doesn't come to anyone's surprise," Bogoch said.
While cases and hospitilizations are going up, Bogoch said he thinks Ontario should "never see businesses or schools ever shuttered again."
"I really don’t think that would be appropriate at all, and I hope to never see that ever again," he said.
With files from CTV News Toronto's Sean Davidson
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From AI running wild to collapsing ecosystems, government report outlines future disruptions
From artificial intelligence running wild to collapsing ecosystems, a new Canadian government report outlines 35 disruptions that could rattle the country in the near future.
B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton hospitalized after prison attack
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton was attacked and sustained life-threatening injuries in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a 'major assault.'
opinion Tom Mulcair: With Trudeau spiralling, Mark Carney waits in the wings
In his latest column for CTVNews.ca, former NDP leader Tom Mulcair argues that if there's an unofficial frontrunner in the eventual race to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader, it has to be former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney.
Toronto Blue Jays fan struck by 110 m.p.h foul ball offered tickets, signed baseball by team
The Toronto Blue Jays have offered tickets and a signed baseball to a fan who says she was struck in the face by a 110 m.p.h (177 km/h) foul ball at Friday’s game.
Matthew Perry's death is being investigated over ketamine level found in actor's blood, reports say
An investigation has been opened into the death of Matthew Perry and how the “Friends” actor received the anesthetic ketamine, which was ruled a contributing factor in his death.
OPP continues to investigate boat collision north of Kingston, Ont. that left 3 people dead
Ontario Provincial Police continue to investigate a long weekend fatal boat collision on Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont.
Police in Ontario say suspects charged in armed home invasion near Toronto part of 'larger criminal network'
Police in Ontario say a group of suspects charged in an armed home invasion north of Toronto last year were driving a vehicle stolen in a carjacking in Calgary just one month earlier.
Stolen septic truck swerves through traffic, spike belt needed to stop it: Manitoba RCMP
A 29-year-old woman has been charged after police say she stole a septic truck from a Manitoba community and drove erratically on the highway.
Orphan orca's extended family spotted off northeast side of Vancouver Island
Members of a killer whale pod related to an orphan orca calf that escaped a remote British Columbia tidal lagoon last month have been spotted off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island.