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NO GUARANTEE OF JAN. 26 RE-OPENING

HERB GARBUTT hgarbutt@metroland.com

Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health says the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is expected to peak in the next few weeks.

Dr. Kieran Moore said it will take two weeks after the peak to assess the impact on hospital and intensive care unit admissions. Because of that timeline, he said he could not guarantee a Jan. 26 re-opening.

"Our intent is to keep it as short as possible," he said. "We are looking for a plateau (in hospital and ICU admissions). Then slowly and cautiously we'll move the public health measures so we don't have a rebound in numbers coming into the health care system."

Moore did not rule out a staged re-opening. He said that would take place in the reverse order in which restrictions were put in place, meaning mass gatherings in the thousands would be the last restriction to be lifted.

On Jan. 5, Ontario moved back into a modified Step Two of its reopening plan, limiting indoor and outdoor social gatherings to five and 10 people, respectively. Indoor dining at restaurants and bars are closed, as are gyms and sports facilities. Restrictions are also in effect for retail settings and personal care services, which are limited to 50 per cent capacity.

Moore said the sudden rise in hospitalizations that is currently being experienced is likely due to gatherings over the holidays. Similarly, he said the benefit of the latest restrictions wouldn't be seen until a couple of weeks after they were put in place.

In addition to hospitalization numbers, Moore said the province will be monitoring the percentage of positive tests as a key indicator as to when restrictions can be lifted.

Moore said improving vaccination rates continues to be the best way to slow the spread of the Omicron variant.

Asked why the 12-17 age group had not been made eligible for booster shots, Moore said based on the very low hospitalization rate for that age group, two doses are still providing strong protection.

Moore said the province has not considered changing the definition of fully vaccinated from two doses to three.

NEWS

en-ca

2022-01-20T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-01-20T08:00:00.0000000Z

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