Ontario will experience COVID-19 waves for at least another six to eight months, top doctor warns

TORONTO -

Ontario will likely experience waves of COVID-19 for the next six to eight months that will only stop if the vaccination rate reaches at least 90 per cent, the province's top doctor says.

Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore made the comment during a press briefing on Tuesday.

"Our strategy in Ontario, if we want to get back to a new normal, is to build the highest level of protection," Moore said. 

He said he believes that when Ontario hits a 90 per cent vaccination rate, the province will hit a state where it becomes difficult for the COVID-19 to spread rapidly in the community. 

"Instead of having waves that we're going to have to tolerate, we'll have small outbreaks that we’ll learn to live with," Moore said.

"(Those waves) will have a smaller impact on the health-care system and allow us to start to pull away some of the public health measures. That could happen as early as six to eight months from now."

As of Tuesday, more than 75 per cent of people over the age of 12 in Ontario are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, but first doses have stalled in recent weeks.

Ontario officials released the vaccine data in a news release, saying the province is deploying its "last mile strategy."

Moore remained firm though that Ontario does not have any plans to introduce a vaccine passport.

According to the head of Ontario's COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, the province could have 1,300 daily COVID-19 infections in three weeks if cases continue to increase at its current rate

Over the past few weeks, the table's scientific director Dr. Peter Jüni had voiced his concerns about the increasing rate of coronavirus transmission due to the Delta variant.