As Ontario heads into its first weekend with bars, restaurants and movie theatres open at 50 per cent capacity, Ontario’s chief medical officer says there is room for optimism.
“The number of COVID-19 patients is now starting to decrease, and we have increased capacity to provide the care to those who need it,” said Dr. Kieran Moore during a Thursday afternoon briefing at Queen’s Park.
But he warns ICU numbers remain high. “The coming weeks will continue to be difficult for our hospital system.”
The number of daily COVID-19 cases dropped by 848 people compared to the same day last week, Global News reported.
Almost 88 per cent of Ontarians aged 12 to 17 have received at least one dose of vaccine, while 83,6 per cent are fully vaccinated.
Moore says it’s necessary for more children to get vaccinated to keep kids safe in their schools. He says to reassure parents about the safety of vaccines, a children vaccine confidence campaign has being launched by Children Health Coalition and the Hospital for Sick Children.
Dr. Moore also encouraged parents to feel free to call the provincial vaccine confidence line to get more information from reliable sources.
As of Monday, the province lifted many restrictions, allowing many businesses to operate at 50-per-cent capacity with the proof of vaccination needed. Among those:
- gyms
- bars
- retailers
- theatres
- libraries
Photo credit: PIxabay
Many Ontarians are looking forward to catching up with activities they haven’t been able to pursue.
“I used to swim a lot before the lockdown,” said Viktoriia Tyschuk who became a member of Albion community pool last year. “I am glad that I can get back to my routine now.”
Roman Prokhorenko got a GoodLife Fitness membership in the summer and was a regular, but had to freeze it due to the gyms’ shutdown.
“I’m still not sure about the whole registration and booking system,” said Prokhorenko. “I’m looking forward to the full reopening so that I can work out with no lines to get in.”
Feb. 21 remains the planned day for the next reopening step for Ontario. Capacity restrictions could lift further if there’s no spike in hospitalization numbers.