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
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.