Ontario's top doctor 'absolutely' expects rise in COVID-19 cases in September
Ontario's top doctor says he "absolutely" expects a rise in COVID-19 cases starting in September and the province is already preparing to respond to the potential surge.
Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore made the comment on Tuesday while providing a COVID-19 update.
Moore said he has seen modelling from Public Health Ontario and the province’s science table that suggests cases will increase when the cooler weather arrives.
"I absolutely expect a rise in COVID activity in September," Moore said, adding that an increase in cases would mainly affect the unvaccinated population.
"Last summer, we had the same type of lull," Moore said. "Ontarians are taking great advantage of the outdoors, but as soon as we come back [to] the indoors, normally, all respiratory viruses start to come back, especially around the third week of September."
He said Ontario health officials are already working with local public health units to prepare for a potential surge in cases.
He said there’s a "real call to arms" in Ontario to increase vaccine coverage before September when people return to more indoor activities.
"We really, really want to have the highest immunization rate possible heading into September," Moore said. "No one wants to see our health system impacted … All of that hospital activity is preventable through immunization."
MOVING TO A COMPLETE REOPENING
Moore seemed confident on Tuesday that Ontario will reach the targets laid out by the government to leave Step 3 of its reopening plan by Aug. 6, but said there is still lots of work to be done before then.
Step 3 begins on July 16 and will remain in place for at least 21 days.
In order to move beyond Step 3, at least 80 per cent of the eligible population aged 12 and up needs to have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 75 per cent should receive their second dose.
Officials say that in order to move forward, no public health unit should have less than 70 per cent of their population fully vaccinated.
Upon meeting these thresholds, the vast majority of public health and workplace safety measures, including capacity limits for indoor and outdoor settings and limits for social gatherings, will be lifted.
Immunization levels in Ontario are currently at 78 per cent for first doses and 54.6 per cent for second doses.
"If we want to move safely and effectively through Step 3 to a complete reopening of our economy, we've got our work cut out for us," Moore said.
Moore said Ontario has the time and vaccine supply to hit the targets by Aug. 6 but Ontarians need to continue getting vaccinated.
He said the number of doses being administered per day has dropped in Ontario in recent days, with first doses lagging even further behind.
He said he understands people get busy in the summer but that they need to carve out time to get vaccinated.
"It's a challenge to all Ontarians. If we want to get through to the next phase of reopening, which is a complete reopening with no public health measures, we’ve got work cut out for us."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Looking over our shoulders': A killing looms large in a little B.C. town
Something shifted in the pretty little village of Lumby, B.C., after Tatjana Stefanski vanished.
Officer who arrested Scottie Scheffler is being disciplined for not having bodycam activated
The Kentucky police officer who arrested top-ranked golfer Scottie Scheffler outside the PGA Championship is receiving “corrective action” for failing to have his body-worn camera activated.
Hundreds have applied for this 'adventurer' job in Banff National Park
Coined as Banff's 'ultimate summer job,' the Moraine Lake Bus Company says hundreds of people from across the world have applied for its adventurer position.
Dangerous brew: Ocean heat and La Nina combo likely mean more Atlantic hurricanes this summer
Get ready for what nearly all the experts think will be one of the busiest Atlantic hurricane seasons on record, thanks to unprecedented ocean heat and a brewing La Nina.
Air travel is expensive. WestJet wants the government to do more to change that
WestJet is asking the federal government to put measures in place to lower ticket costs for travellers, but questions remain on who would foot the bill.
Potential tornado 'surreal' for residents who witnessed damaging storm in southern Ontario
Witnessing a potential tornado was 'surreal' for residents who caught a glimpse of the damaging storm in southern Ontario on Wednesday night.
Montreal-area high school students protest 'sexist' dress code
Students at Curé-Antoine-Labelle High School near Montreal are protesting after they say their school's administration started pushing what they call a 'sexist' dress code.
Jennifer Lopez's response to question about Ben Affleck is a reminder of their decades of love in the spotlight
Plenty of people are wondering if Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are having problems in their marriage, but one person had the nerve to ask in a public forum.
Was this the bug that stung you? Wasp sightings revive murder-hornet concerns; no detections confirmed
As temperatures rise out of a mild El Nino winter, Canada's buggy season is already upon us again, and this year, the bugs are looking especially big.