Ontario's uptick in COVID-19 cases could put an early move to Step 1 in jeopardy, top official says
A rise in COVID-19 cases over the past two days has prompted Ontario's top doctor to warn the chances of an earlier reopening are looking "less promising."
Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams told reporters on Thursday he’s concerned about the recent uptick, and said it could potentially be attributed to the Victoria Day long weekend.
Ontario confirmed 870 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, which comes after 699 new infections on Tuesday and 733 on Wednesday.
Despite the daily uptick in cases, Ontario's rolling seven-day average continues to drop and is currently at 940.
"I hope we don't have a continual rise over the weekend," Williams said. "Getting over 1,000 again, that would be disappointing to say the least."
"Let's hope we can turn that around."
Williams said he would have "better answers" for Premier Doug Ford and Health Minister Christine Elliott next week about whether Ontario can enter Step 1 before June 14.
He said he wants to ensure the increase in cases is "just a temporary one."
Earlier on Thursday, Elliott said she understands that people are anxious to move into Step 1 and are waiting for a decision on whether that timeline can be pushed up by a few day.
“But we can only do that when it's safe for everyone’s health for that to happen," Elliott said, adding there was no word on when the final decision would be made.
She said the province is also tracking the increase in variant cases, especially the "delta variant," first discovered in India.
"The number have gone up slightly today, but generally they are trending downwards," Elliott said. "We're going to continue to follow the data."
Premier Doug Ford said on Wednesday, while announcing schools will not reopen this academic year, that he's waiting for advice from Williams about whether the province can push forward the Step 1 date.
Step 1 allows for Ontario to relax restrictions that mainly involving outdoor activities.
Outdoor gathering limits will increase to 10 people, patios can reopen, and non-essential retail reopens at 15 per cent capacity.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
B.C. theatre to pay $55K to neurodivergent actor in discrimination case
British Columbia's human rights tribunal has awarded a neurodigergent actor, who was diagnosed with sensory and learning disorders, more than $55,000 after finding that a Kelowna theatre company discriminated against him because of his disabilities.
Who's responsible for regulating cannabis stores operating under the sovereignty banner?
It's not quite clear who is supposed to be regulating so-called sovereign cannabis stores or even ensure they're benefiting Indigenous communities.