TORONTO -- Some form of a lockdown is now inevitable for Ontario as COVID-19 cases hit all-time highs with no signs of slowing down, an infectious disease expert warns.
Infectious diseases expert Dr. Abdu Sharkawy told CP24 on Wednesday that Ontario is now in "uncharted territory" when it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Wednesday, the province reported 1,426 new COVID-19 cases. Ontario's seven-day average for number of cases reported continues to climb and is now 1,216, up from 971 at this point last week.
"I think it's inevitable that some form of a lockdown is probably going to come our way," Sharkawy said. "The question is now how long will it be?"
"That's going to be determined by how firm our action is now to prevent it from being a more painful and difficult one for us to endure."
Toronto officials announced on Tuesday that the ban on indoor dining will continue until mid-December, along with the city moving to the red zone of Ontario's tiered shutdown system.
Indoor fitness classes are banned in Toronto, while casinos and meeting spaces are also off limits. Toronto and Peel Region are now both one tier away from the lockdown level.
Infectious diseases expert Dr. Isaac Bogoch said on Wednesday that while the restrictions would have been a difficult decision to make, it was the right move.
"When you've got cases that are this high, you are really not left with a lot of options to get the virus under control," he told CP24 on Wednesday morning.
"We are seeing a growth in cases and we are starting to see a pinch on the health-care system now and that's a big problem and you just can't have a sustained rate of 1,000 plus new cases per day and not expect this to cause major problems in terms of health and the health-care system."
On Tuesday, Premier Doug Ford told reporters that he can't rule out another lockdown for all of Ontario, similar to what Manitoba just announced.
In Manitoba, all non-essential retail stores have been ordered to close as the province deals with a dramatic spike in cases and hospitalizations.
"I think we've showed before, at the beginning of this pandemic, if it needs to be done, we'll do it based on the advice of our health professionals, or advice from the local medical officers and the advice from the local mayor," Ford said.
Of the new cases recorded on Wednesday, 468 are in Peel Region, 384 are in Toronto, 180 are in York Region, 63 are in Durham Region, and 62 are in Hamilton.
The number logged in Peel Region on Wednesday is a record-high for the city.
