Pointing to signs COVID-19 cases are again on the rise in Ontario, Huron-Perth’s top public health doctor is urging residents to “make informed decisions” about how to manage the virus now that most of the province’s pandemic restrictions have been lifted.
Pointing to signs COVID-19 cases are again on the rise in Ontario, Huron-Perth’s top public health doctor is urging residents to “make informed decisions” about how to manage the virus now that most of the province’s pandemic restrictions have been lifted.
“This was expected after the lifting of public-health measures, and we continue to monitor the situation,” Dr. Miriam Klassen, the region’s medical officer of health, said in a press release Thursday. “Since transmission rates are still quite high, I encourage everyone to make decisions that will best protect themselves and their loved ones. Remember that some public-health measures remain as well.”
After several weeks of plateau or decline, positivity rates from COVID-19 tests, hospitalizations and intensive-care admissions have recently increased. Other data points experts use to track COVID-19, such as wastewater signals, have also suggested cases are rising for the first time since Ontario dropped its mask mandate, proof-of-vaccination rules and crowd capacity limits.
Despite the rising numbers, the province isn’t currently looking at bringing back any of the measures lifted earlier this month, Health Minister Christine Elliott said at a hospital funding announcement in Toronto on Thursday.
The government is following the advice of the province’s top doctor and would change its approach if he recommends it, Elliott said. She also noted that Ontario has a highly vaccinated population now, has increased hospital capacity and has more access to antiviral medications to treat the disease.
“If we need to take any further measure we will, but so far it doesn’t appear that we need to do that,” Elliott said.
She also indicated the province likely won’t mandate masks widely again, despite recent advice from local medical officers in Ottawa and some other Ontario regions that people continue masking indoors in light of the ongoing risk from the virus.
Her comments came after provincial opposition politicians called on the government to explain how it plans to respond to the rising cases.
“It’s pretty much a hands-off approach, and we know that has not served us well in the past,” NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said.
There were 807 patients in Ontario hospitals with the virus on Thursday, up from 778 a day earlier. The province reported 3,139 new virus cases, an increase of roughly 11 per cent from Wednesday’s 2,814.
Ontario’s top doctor has said the actual number of daily cases is likely 10 times higher than the official tally as access to PCR testing is restricted to people considered most high risk.
Huron Perth public health reminded residents Thursday that masks are still required in several places, including public transit, health-care settings, long-term care and retirement homes, and other congregate living spaces.
People in congregate living settings, people of advanced age, people with underlying health conditions, people who are unvaccinated, and people who are marginalized continue to be at greater risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19, the health unit said. The risk of COVID-19 transmission can be lowered by frequent hand washing, using high quality masks when necessary, limiting the number of close contacts indoors, and staying home when experiencing symptoms.
Huron-Perth reported its 97th COVID-related death on Wednesday. The death has been linked to a recent outbreak at Listowel Memorial Hospital that was declared over on Monday, the health unit confirmed.
Five outbreaks were active in the region on Thursday – two long-term care homes, one retirement home, and two other unnamed congregate living settings.
Three people from Huron-Perth were in hospital Thursday due to COVID-19 or a related complication.
-With files from the Canadian Press