“Close monitoring of epidemiological trends since 21 March 2022 (the date required to remove the mask) suggests a corresponding time correlation with a consequent increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations,” the report said. Public Health Ontario (PHO).  .
The agency noted that the full impact of mandate removal may not be noticeable due to limited PCR testing and delayed hospitalization data.
Ontario is currently in the middle of the sixth pandemic wave, which PHO said was driven by the most contagious BA.2 Omicron subtype.  The agency noted that evidence suggests that high viral loads may play a role in the increased transmissibility of the subtype.
“The number of confirmed cases and test scores is increasing and is currently higher than during the pandemic to date and it is indicative that Ontario is on the rise of a sixth pandemic,” PHO said.
Earlier this week, Dr Peter Juni, head of the Ontario Science Board, said wastewater data showed the province was seeing between 100,000 and 120,000 new cases each day.
Ontario saw a 40 percent increase in hospitalizations each week.  On Saturday, Ontario reported 1,188 people hospitalized with COVID-19.
In the briefing, the PHO also stated that the province could see an increase in COVID-19 infections among children.  The agency said it could affect the capacity of the pediatric hospital and intensive care unit and lead to further close learning disruption.
“With the expected increased infections in children associated with increased BA.2 transmissibility, the lifting of public health measures and the limited eligibility of vaccines and the coverage of two doses in children under 12, the number of children with severe disease is likely rise.  “, The report wrote.
Reintroducing universal indoor coverage in schools and other public facilities and extending coverage to high-risk areas could be effective in reducing transmission, PHO said.
There have been calls for reinstatement of mask orders, especially in schools, as absences of students and teachers continue to increase.  Public health experts criticized the province for ending the orders, saying it was wrong.
“Prevention strategies integrated into a vaccination strategy can mitigate the tide in the current context of a more contagious dominant variant and when incidence rates are higher than during much of the pandemic to date,” PHO said.
“Optimizing prevention levels in K-12 schools, including the temporary re-enactment of indoor coverage requirements and improved air quality, can reduce the risk of in-school transmission and related disruption to students, families and educational settings. ».
The PHO said public health officials should emphasize the importance of using a mask on the public to mitigate the sixth wave.
“Communicating risk to the population regarding high levels of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and COVID-19 disease risk can also be helpful, including in collective action such as community coverage,” the report said.
However, Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott, citing the Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr.  Kieran Moore said earlier this week that mask orders did not need to be reinstated as an increase in cases was expected.
PHO warned that there was growing evidence that a new variant of the COVID-19 concern could emerge and “drastically change the course of the pandemic”.
“The emergence of sub-category BA.2 when jurisdictions experienced the fall of waves BA.1 and BA.1.1 underscores the need for high-quality surveillance, based on previous experience related to the elimination of public health interventions, vaccination and preparedness. for the next stages of the COVID-19 pandemic “.