Ontario's top doctor warns of more recommendations to public on masking ahead of 'difficult' winter
Ontario’s top doctor said he will make more recommendations on masking ahead of a "quite complex and difficult winter" battling COVID-19.
Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore told CP24 on Thursday COVID-19 hospitilizations in the province have been increasing in the past several weeks.
"We will be making more recommendations of wearing masks to cut down the risk of all these viruses that are transmitted through personal contact," Moore said. "(It) could be a quite complex and difficult winter."
CTV News Toronto spoke with the Ministry of Health who clarified Moore's recommendations would be to the public, and not the government to reinstate any public health measures.
Moore said he is urging all Ontarians who are eligible to get their booster shot.
"Thirty-thousand just yesterday came forward to get vaccinated. I'd love to see those numbers higher. We have the vaccine, we have vaccinators, we have capacity for roughly 80,000 individuals per day," Moore said.
Moore said he is also concerned about the impact of influenza on Ontario's healthcare system this winter and is asking people to stay up to date on all their vaccines.
As of last week, the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 reached a two-month high in Ontario.
The latest data released by the Ministry of Health suggests there were 1,465 people testing positive for COVID-19 in Ontario hospitals, up from 1,265 the previous week and 1,141 on Sept. 22.
It is the highest number of people in hospital with COVID-19 since Aug. 4 and is approaching the peak of the summer wave on July 28 when 1,492 people were hospitalized.
“My recommendation would be anyone at risk to this virus continue to mask as you’re going in doors in at-risk public settings,” Moore said. “We will make recommendations to the public to mask up as we get further along.”
Ontario residents aged 12 and above can now book a bivalent COVID-19 booster as shipments of Pfizer’s newly approved vaccination series are set to arrive in the province this week.
On Friday, Health Canada approved the Pfizer bivalent vaccine targeting the BA.4 and BA.5 strains of the Omicron variant. Previously, only Moderna’s bivalent booster – available to those 18 years of age and older – was approved and available in Ontario.
The province also announced today Ontarians can receive their flu shots from local health providers beginning Nov. 1.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Risky' for Ottawa to take strings-attached approach to health-care negotiations: Jean Charest
As negotiations continue between premiers and the federal government, former Quebec premier Jean Charest is criticizing the feds' string-attached approach to health-care funding, stating that Ottawa should not be in the business of operating health-care systems.
PM Trudeau presents premiers $196B health-care funding deal, with $46B in new funding over the next decade
The federal government is pledging to increase health funding to Canada's provinces and territories by $196.1 billion over the next 10 years, in a long-awaited deal aimed at addressing Canada's crumbling health-care systems with $46.2 billion in new funding.
A sensor you draw with a pencil could be used for 'smart diapers,' contactless switches and respiratory monitors
We may soon be able to detect humidity levels, respiratory changes or a too-wet diaper, all with a new type of sensor — one created by drawing with a pencil on specially-treated paper.
Inflation 'turning the corner' after multiple rate increases: BoC governor
After raising interest rates eight consecutive times, Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem told an audience in Quebec City on Tuesday that inflation is showing signs of 'turning the corner' and that the coming year 'will be different.'
LIVE @ 9 ET
LIVE @ 9 ET | Biden aims to deliver reassurance in State of Union address
U.S. President Joe Biden is ready to offer a reassuring assessment of the nation's condition rather than roll out flashy policy proposals as he delivers his second State of the Union address on Tuesday night, seeking to overcome pessimism in the country and concerns about his own leadership.
How more than 100 women realized they may have dated, been deceived by the same man
An Ontario man is being accused of changing his name, profession and life story multiple times to potentially more than 100 women online before leaving some out thousands of dollars.
Balloons and drones among 768 Canadian UFO reports from 2022: researcher
Balloons and drones were among 768 reported UFO sightings in Canada last year, according to Winnipeg-based researcher Chris Rutkowski, who also found that eight per cent of all cases remained unexplained.
Alec Baldwin wants prosecutor in on-set death case dropped
Defence attorneys for actor Alec Baldwin are seeking to disqualify the special prosecutor in the case against him stemming from the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on a New Mexico film set.
Newborn, toddler saved from rubble in quake-hit Syrian town
Residents digging through a collapsed building in a northwest Syrian town discovered a crying infant whose mother appears to have given birth to her while buried underneath the rubble from this week's devastating earthquake, relatives and a doctor said Tuesday.
Montreal
-
PM Trudeau presents premiers $196B health-care funding deal, with $46B in new funding over the next decade
The federal government is pledging to increase health funding to Canada's provinces and territories by $196.1 billion over the next 10 years, in a long-awaited deal aimed at addressing Canada's crumbling health-care systems with $46.2 billion in new funding.
-
Boy, 16, fatally struck in Laval parking lot by snow loader
A 16-year-old boy has died after being struck by a snow clearing truck in the parking lot of Les Galeries Laval shopping mall on Monday night.
-
Liberals compare PQ leader to Trump for wanting to close Roxham Road border crossing
Quebec interim Liberal leader Marc Tanguay says that in wanting to close Roxham Road to prevent irregular entry of asylum seekers into Quebec, the Parti Québécois and its leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon are behaving like Donald Trump.
London
-
Death of Karen Cunningham 'suspicious' in nature, Woodstock police say
Several days after the discovery of her body, police in Woodstock have declared the death of 30-year-old Karen Cunningham as 'suspicious' in nature.
-
Special weather statement issued for London, Ont.
A special weather statement is in effect for most of the southern Ontario. A strong low pressure system will bring rain that is heavy at times to London-Middlesex and surrounding areas beginning early Thursday morning.
-
Western University to drop mask mandate effective immediately
Based on the advice from public health experts, London, Ont.’s Western University announced on Tuesday it is dropping its mask mandate in instructional spaces. The mask mandate was initially enacted by the university in August of 2022.
Kitchener
-
Suspect in Conestoga Mall robbery found dead in Toronto
Waterloo regional police say one of the suspects in an armed robbery at Conestoga Mall last week has been located dead.
-
'Loved what I did': Google layoffs impact Waterloo region employees
Some Waterloo region Google employees are now jobless after the tech company announced cuts.
-
Breaking
Breaking | Hamilton Bulldogs moving to Brantford
Brantford city council has voted unanimously to approve a staff report suggesting the Hamilton Bulldogs temporarily move to Brantford and be known as the Brantford Bulldogs.
Northern Ontario
-
Northern Ont. woman reflects on meeting Harry Styles and her magical night at Grammy Awards
A northern Ontario woman had the rare opportunity to meet her favourite musician at the Grammys, thanks to social media platform, TikTok.
-
Northern highways reopen following brief closure due to weather
Several highways in northeastern Ontario are reopened after a winter storm created hazardous road conditions Tuesday morning.
-
How more than 100 women realized they may have dated, been deceived by the same man
An Ontario man is being accused of changing his name, profession and life story multiple times to potentially more than 100 women online before leaving some out thousands of dollars.
Ottawa
-
Highbridge Construction owes $106,000 in rent on storefront
There is a new sign of financial issues with an Ottawa construction company that suddenly closed, leaving customers with unfinished projects unable to recoup their losses.
-
LRT service disrupted downtown after water leak at Rideau Station
Ottawa LRT service was briefly disrupted downtown because of a water leak in the tunnel at Rideau Station.
-
NCC still hopeful Rideau Canal Skateway can open this season
There is still hope the world famous Rideau Canal Skateway will be open for Winterlude.
Windsor
-
Descendants of loved ones in old photographs meet the woman who helped reunite them
A River Canard, Ont. woman has solved part of a mystery she uncovered while decluttering her home last month. A woman who goes by the name of JoJo reached out to CTV News Windsor last week in an attempt to identify several anonymous war time photographs along with several postcards she found in a box dating back to the 1940s.
-
Fatal crash in Kingsville claims two lives, injures third
Two people have died in a serious single-vehicle crash in Kingsville, a third person was injured and transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
-
PM Trudeau presents premiers $196B health-care funding deal, with $46B in new funding over the next decade
The federal government is pledging to increase health funding to Canada's provinces and territories by $196.1 billion over the next 10 years, in a long-awaited deal aimed at addressing Canada's crumbling health-care systems with $46.2 billion in new funding.
Barrie
-
5 arrested in Bradford gun bust, including 14-year-old girl
Police searching a home in Bradford arrested five people, including a 14-year-old girl, after allegedly seizing a handgun and semi-automatic rifle.
-
Family identifies man accused in 2022 fatal boat crash in Muskoka
The Huntsville man charged in connection with a boat crash that claimed the life of a swimmer in Muskoka last summer has been identified by his family as 26-year-old Zack Foyston.
-
Growing concern over doctor, nurse shortage in Simcoe County
As Canadians in several provinces struggle to access a family physician, experts in Ontario say numbers are now surpassing the one million mark.
Atlantic
-
Sandeson murder trial: Accused denies killing fellow Nova Scotia student for money
A former medical student who claims he fatally shot a fellow student in self-defence during a drug deal in Halifax denied Tuesday he planned to kill the man and steal the marijuana he was carrying.
-
'It's so sad': Retired N.S. doctor feels she 'abandoned' her patients
Retirement is bittersweet for a Nova Scotia doctor who says she feels like she has abandoned the 2,000 patients she has been caring for because she was not able to find a doctor to replace her.
-
Man found dead behind Nova Scotia Power substation in Stellarton
Police believe a man who was found dead behind a Nova Scotia Power substation in Stellarton, N.S., was trying to steal copper wire.
Calgary
-
Danielle Smith addresses 'just transition' concerns with prime minister in Ottawa
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith expressed her concerns with the federal government's proposed 'just transition' legislation directly to the prime minister on Tuesday, saying she hopes the two can find some common ground.
-
PM Trudeau presents premiers $196B health-care funding deal, with $46B in new funding over the next decade
The federal government is pledging to increase health funding to Canada's provinces and territories by $196.1 billion over the next 10 years, in a long-awaited deal aimed at addressing Canada's crumbling health-care systems with $46.2 billion in new funding.
-
Pedestrian hit and killed by CTrain at Dalhousie Station fell: Calgary police
Calgary police say a pedestrian who was hit and killed by a CTrain on Tuesday morning appears to have fallen off the platform.
Winnipeg
-
PM Trudeau presents premiers $196B health-care funding deal, with $46B in new funding over the next decade
The federal government is pledging to increase health funding to Canada's provinces and territories by $196.1 billion over the next 10 years, in a long-awaited deal aimed at addressing Canada's crumbling health-care systems with $46.2 billion in new funding.
-
Report on Winnipeg's finances shows $83 million shortfall, plus more for transit
A newly released report reveals the City of Winnipeg ended 2022 with a shortfall to the tune of tens of millions of dollars.
-
Winnipeg police looking for two suspects involved in armed carjacking Monday
Police are searching for two suspects following a carjacking Monday.
Vancouver
-
'Shut the f*** up, get me my coffee!': Angry confrontation at Tim Hortons in Surrey, B.C., under investigation
Police are investigating an angry confrontation at a Tim Hortons drive-thru in Surrey, B.C., over the weekend, part of which was recorded and posted on TikTok.
-
Vancouver’s Turkish community mobilizes to send emergency supplies to earthquake-stricken homeland
A passenger plane packed with donations and emergency supplies is set to travel from Vancouver, B.C., to Istanbul on Tuesday, as the death toll from Monday’s 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Turkiye and Syria surpasses 6,200.
-
Flair Airlines ordered to compensate B.C. men for multi-hour delays on both legs of round-trip
B.C.'s small claims tribunal has ordered Flair Airlines to pay more than $500 to two men whose flights to and from Kitchener-Waterloo were delayed by more than three hours each.
Edmonton
-
Mother charged with sexual abuse of toddler in Edmonton area after FBI tip
A Strathcona County toddler has been rescued from suspected sexual exploitation, and the child's mother has been charged, police said.
-
Danielle Smith addresses 'just transition' concerns with prime minister in Ottawa
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith expressed her concerns with the federal government's proposed 'just transition' legislation directly to the prime minister on Tuesday, saying she hopes the two can find some common ground.
-
PM Trudeau presents premiers $196B health-care funding deal, with $46B in new funding over the next decade
The federal government is pledging to increase health funding to Canada's provinces and territories by $196.1 billion over the next 10 years, in a long-awaited deal aimed at addressing Canada's crumbling health-care systems with $46.2 billion in new funding.