Ontario health minister says Omicron cases expected to peak this month
Two weeks after Ontario imposed sweeping public health measures in an effort to blunt the rapid spread of COVID-19 due to the Omicron variant, the province’s minister of health says that cases of the virus are expected to peak in the next several days.
“Omicron cases are expected to peak this month, with a peak in hospitalizations and ICU admissions to follow,” Health Minister Christine Elliott said during a news conference on Wednesday.
“New hospitalizations are slowing and are now doubling closer to every two weeks," she said.
Elliott’s comments come a day after Premier Doug Ford revealed that “positive news” regarding the province’s restrictions would be coming later this week.
Ford doubled down on those comments on Wednesday when he said that the forthcoming "positive announcement" would be beneficial to restaurants and gyms which are currently shuttered.
Since then, CTV News Toronto has learned that Ontario will gradually loosen restrictions starting with indoor dining on Jan. 31, according to sources familiar with the matter. Ford is expected to make the official announcement on Thursday at Queen's Park.
On Jan. 5, the province introduced public health measures, including the closure of in-person learning at schools until Jan. 17, the reduction in capacity at personal care services and shopping centres and the halting of indoor dining at restaurants and bars until Jan. 26.
Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health has said that he and his team have been monitoring key metrics related to the province’s COVID-19 battle such as hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and deaths related to the virus, as well as test positivity rate and the virus’s reproductive number.
On Wednesday, hospitalizations linked to COVID-19 in Ontario reached 4,132 and ICU admissions reached 589 – the highest reported number in months.
However, Moore said earlier this week that the number of cases is decelerating in terms of hospitalizations and ICUs.
Before that, Moore had warned that he could not “guarantee” that measures would be lifted on Jan. 26. When asked if his opinion on the timeline had changed since those comments were made and as students return to school across the province, he said that any decision to lift public health restrictions would be one made by the government.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trudeau and Harris? Poilievre and Trump? Here's who Canadians think would work best with: survey
As Americans prepare to elect their next president on Tuesday, new data from the Angus Reid Institute suggests Canadians hold differing views as to which federal party leaders would be best suited to deal with either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris.
B.C. port employers launch lockout at terminals in labour dispute with workers
Employers at British Columbia ports say they are going ahead with locking out more than 700 foremen across the province after strike activities from union members began.
Months after VRBO booking, Taylor Swift fan told home 'not available' during Vancouver concert
A frustrated Taylor Swift fan is speaking out after being pushed from a short-term rental she booked for the upcoming Vancouver leg of the superstar’s Eras Tour.
Felonies, assassination attempts and a last-minute change on the ticket leads voters to Tuesday's U.S. election
A campaign that has careened through a felony trial, incumbent being pushed off the ticket and assassination attempts comes down to Election Day on Tuesday.
Measles cases in New Brunswick more than double in three days
A measles outbreak declared in New Brunswick’s Zone 3 last week, which includes Fredericton and the upper Saint John River Valley, has more than doubled since last week.
Prison sentences handed down for sexually abusive London, Ont. parents
In handing down the sentences for two London parents, Justice Thomas Heeney told the court, "The facts of this case were the most egregious that I have encountered during my 26 years on the bench."
She was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes about a year ago. Here's how her condition was reversed
A year ago, Lorraine O'Quinn was coping with stress, chronic illness and Type 2 diabetes. Then she discovered a health program that she says changed her life.
Surprise swing state? Iowa poll has Harris suddenly leading
Based on victories in the past two elections and polls leading up to Tuesday’s election, Donald Trump had seemed almost certain to win Iowa, but a new poll has Kamala Harris with a sudden three-point lead.
Russia suspected of sending incendiary devices on US- and Canada-bound planes, Wall Street Journal reports
Incendiary devices that ignited in Germany and the United Kingdom in July were part of a covert Russian operation that aimed to start fires aboard cargo and passenger flights heading to the U.S. and Canada, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Monday, citing Western security officials.