Dr Peter Jüni said Wednesday that the estimate was based on the amount of new coronavirus found in Ontario sewage – data experts began to rely on it to gain a sense of the spread of the pathogen when the province began restricting PCR testing last year. He said the current rise is very similar to the fifth wave powered by the Omicron variant when it peaked in early January. “We are at the same level again as we were then,” Jüni told the CBC News Network. The provincial government lifted most public health measures for COVID-19, including indoor mask orders, in March, but Jüni said Ontarians would have to start wearing masks again, as it is the fastest way to reduce cases. “Of course, we are in a different position. I agree, we should not panic, but we should hide. That is the issue here,” he said. Jüni said the numbers were alarming – “we are re-creating the tidal wave” – ​​but added that Ontario may not see the same number of hospitalizations as in January due to mass vaccinations. “The point here is really that we have built a wall of immunity, thanks to the third installments and thanks to a lot of people who became infected. That will help us,” he said.

“There is no reason to panic,” said the health minister

An estimated 4.5 to five million people in Ontario have been infected with COVID-19 as of December 1, 2021, Jüni said. “Basically we are the ones who are lifting the restrictions and now we are just moving too far towards normalcy,” Jüni said. “We need a little more right now.” Earlier Wednesday, however, Health Minister Christine Eliot said the county expected an increase in infections as the county reopened. Vaccines and antiviral drugs should help the province deal with the latest outbreak, he said. “This is something we are sure we will be able to overcome. There is no reason to panic.” “This is something we are sure we can overcome,” said Ontario Health Minister Christine Eliot. There is no reason to panic. ” (Nathan Denette / The Canadian Press)
Dr. Kashif Pirzada, a Toronto emergency physician, said hospitals were seeing a steady increase in admissions of COVID-19 patients, especially the elderly. “It’s too early to say, but if something like the last wave follows, we will reach capacity in the next two weeks,” Pirzada said. He said hospital staff had already been burned. “Already, waiting times are crazy. We have limited staff. People get sick every day. In the hospitals where I work, people are asked to come early, leave late and cover shifts,” he said. . Pirzanda said the government should make a real plan to provide guidance on what to do at home, work and school as the pandemic continues. He recommended the return of mask commands, improvements in indoor ventilation and twice a week quick tests in schools and workplaces. “These are messages that I wish our medical leadership would get out there, but in reality it is not happening right now,” he said. “Rejecting precautions when a wave started was a very bad move and it will cost us all, unfortunately.”