Ontario's top doctor says COVID-19 hospital, ICU admissions to peak this week

Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore says he’s cautiously optimistic that the worst of the sixth COVID-19 wave will be over soon as hospitalizations are expected to peak in the coming days.

Moore told CTV News on Friday that wastewater and the limited PCR test positivity data suggested the case count peak happened on April 10, but the peak for hospital admissions is expected to take place this week.

“That rise in hospitalization naturally occurs after that maximum number of cases, and then the last piece is an impact on the intensive care units,” Moore said.

“We expect all of that major impact to occur in the next seven to 10 days, and then slowly and surely the risk will decrease heading in to the end of May … I am cautiously optimistic.”

By June, Moore said he expects that majority of the cases will be back down to a “very low endemic risk” across Ontario.

Health officials reported on Friday there are at least 1,591 patients in Ontario hospitals with COVID-19, and 214 people in ICU.

The province also announced on Friday it will extend its remaining mask mandate in high-risk settings until June 11 as the province deals in response to the sixth wave.

Experts have said the sixth wave has been caused by the roll-back of COVID-19 restrictions and mandates, and due to the spread of the B.A.2 variant of the virus.