Ontario's top doctor 'starting to have much more hope' on COVID-19
Ontario’s chief medical officer of health is sounding a tone of optimism nearly two weeks after the province instituted a modified lockdown to slow the spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant.
“I’m starting to have much more hope,” Dr. Kieran Moore told Newstalk 580 CFRA’s The Morning Rush with Bill Carroll on Monday. “The number of cases is decelerating instead of accelerating in terms of hospitalizations and ICUs.”
Moore said the newest numbers he saw Monday morning show a slight decrease in the total number of people in Ontario’s ICUs.
That, along with other indicators such as declining test positivity rates, provides him with some hope that the new restrictions the province instituted in early January are working, he said.
“Our goal was to blunt the impact in these two weeks going forward, the 17th to 31st, and I think we’re starting to see the effects,” Moore said.
The restrictions starting Jan. 5 closed restaurants, gyms and other businesses and limited gatherings. The province also shut schools down until Monday, although the snowstorm across much of the province has delayed the return of in-person learning until Tuesday.
Moore said the health system continues to be pushed to capacity with surging ICU rates and staffing shortages due to Omicron.
“We didn’t know when it would end. But I do think that the sacrifices Ontarians have made have made an impact, and the amount of spread of the virus is slowing.”
In Ottawa, the city’s wastewater surveillance program has shown signs that the viral load may have peaked.
Moore did not say when restrictions could be loosened, saying it’s a government decision.
“We’re always cautious and this virus continues to humble me on a regular basis, but I think the sacrifices that Ontarians have made in the last two weeks are showing.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
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.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
'Summer of discontent': Federal unions vow to fight new 3-day a week office mandate
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.
Watch fighter jet pilots pummel fake enemy ship off coast of Philippines
The United States and Philippines held annual joint-training drills just off the Southeast Asian nation’s western coast on Wednesday. Military forces sunk a 'mock' enemy warship – the BRP Lake Caliraya, which was a decommissioned tanker made in China.
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 head more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
'Ozempic babies': Reports of surprise pregnancies raise new questions about weight loss drugs
Numerous women have shared stories of 'Ozempic babies' on social media. But the joy some experience in discovering pregnancies may come with anxiety about the unknowns.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests
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.
TSB concludes investigation into cause of London, Ont. freight train fire
More than two weeks after a freight train with several railcars ablaze rolled through the heart of the Forest City, the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) has concluded its investigation.
'I killed four people': Trial hears video evidence of Jeremy Skibicki at Winnipeg trial
“I killed four people,” alleged serial killer Jeremy Skibicki told two homicide detectives during a recorded interview played as evidence in his trial Wednesday.