May 20, 2021
By Christine Ross
Ontario’s science advisors say maintaining some public health restrictions until mid-June and continuing progress on vaccinations will ensure the province has a ‘good summer.’
The findings come in new projections by Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table.
“So the message today is simple, the more we can vaccinate, the more we can keep spread down by sticking to the basics that prevent transmission, the faster we will see the end of the pandemic” explained Dr. Adalsteinn Brown, who co-chairs the Advisory Table.
The group says new infections, positivity rates and hospitalizations are declining but healthcare remains under pressure. The modelling projects 1,000 cases a day by the end of June if the province partially reopens June 2nd and 500 a day if we wait until mid June.
The advisers say reopening schools June 2 when the stay-at-home order expires could lead to a 6 to 11 per cent increase in cases but that ‘may be manageable.’
The group, which has criticized the government’s closure of outdoor recreational facilities, says those activities should be encouraged. When asked what risks could lead to a potential fourth wave, the health advisers point to the variants of concern.
The projections come just hours before Doug Ford is set to make an announcement on the province’s reopening plan.
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