When will Ontario return to normal? This doctor believes it could be sooner than you think
With Canada set to receive enough supply to fully vaccinate most people by the middle of the summer, many Ontarians are wondering when exactly life will return to normal.
Last week, Procurement Minister Anita Anand announced that Canada would receive at least 55 million doses of vaccine by the end of July, meaning 80 per cent of eligible Canadians would be able to book their shots in the days and weeks that follow.
So when can residents in Ontario start to really live their best post-pandemic life?
Infectious diseases specialist Dr. Zain Chagla said he believes that the fall is a safe bet.
“If 80 per cent of people get a vaccine by the end of July, or even mid-August, our ability to really get back to normal, especially before the winter time, is really preserved,” he said, speaking to CTV News Toronto Wednesday. “And that’s going to help with all of us feeling like this is behind us for the most part.”
Chagla went on to say that Labour Day could be a real turning point in the province’s fight against the disease with the September 6 holiday marking the first time where residents can really “do what they want.”
“You look at places like Israel right now and they’re still not at 80 per cent and they’re basically declaring they’re back to normal and they’ve even given up masks,” he said.
For context, Israel’s fully vaccinated population percentage, according to data collected by CTV News, sits at roughly 59 per cent. Meanwhile, only 13 per cent of Canadians are considered to be fully vaccinated after receiving both their first and second shots.
If Canada can fully vaccinate 80 per cent of the population by the end of July, Chagla said the situation in schools would also improve.
“Knowing that, at least in places struggling with the Delta variant like England, kids are going to transmit this, not necessarily get sick with it, having a significant amount of the population vaccinated will likely help reduce that burden in schools and make it much safer for them to operate,” he said.
Between now and then, Chagla said that doses will need to continue to be administered as fast as they have been in the last few months and that enthusiasm among people to get vaccinated will need to remain high.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
'A huge difference': These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
OPINION No reunion between Prince Harry and the King signifies a setback for royal unity
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
How Drake and Kendrick Lamar's rap beef escalated within weeks
A long-simmering feud between hip-hop superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a boiling point in recent days as the pair traded increasingly personal insults on a succession of diss tracks. Here’s a quick overview of what’s behind the ongoing beef.
NEW For their protection, immigrants critical of China and India call for speedy passage of Canada's foreign interference legislation
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the 'Countering Foreign Interference Act' so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.
Spanish prosecutors recommend 2nd investigation into Shakira's taxes be thrown out
Spanish state prosecutors recommended Wednesday that an investigating judge shelve a probe into another alleged case of tax fraud by pop star Shakira.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Israel says it reopened a key Gaza crossing after a rocket attack but the UN says no aid has entered
The Israeli military said Wednesday that it has reopened the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza, a key terminal for the entry of humanitarian aid that was closed over the weekend after a Hamas rocket attack killed four Israeli soldiers nearby.