Caution urged despite dip in cases

U.K. variant of COVID-19 virus will likely be the dominant version in Ontario in March

A top science adviser says Ontario is far from in the clear despite a downward trend in COVID-19 cases, while some provinces criticized Ottawa for lower-than-expected vaccine shipments and the pandemic was flagged as an outsized contributor to Quebec’s death count last year.

Canada’s most populous province reported 2,093 new infections Thursday and 56 more deaths linked to the novel coronavirus. Cases have fallen since Ontario issued a stay-at-home order two weeks ago.

Dr. Adalsteinn Brown, who co-chairs Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, said new infections are on track to decrease to between 1,000 and 2,000 a day by the end of February. There were several days earlier this month when they topped 3,000.

A new COVID-19 variant first detected in the United Kingdom, which is at least 30 per cent more transmissible, is circulating in the community. Brown said it would likely be the dominant version of the virus in March.

“The new variants, like the variant from the United Kingdom, give us less room to relax and less room for error.”

With the right amount of diligence, schools should be able to stay open, Brown said.

Dr. Susy Hota, medical director of infection prevention and control at Toronto’s University Health Network, said Ontario’s data show that the restrictions have been effective in tamping down the spread of the virus.

“How long we need to maintain it is the big question,” she said.

“This does take its toll on people. It’s important to keep in mind what the impact is on the population, because you don’t want to be trading off one health risk for another.”

Starting next week, Ontario will force travellers arriving from other countries to be swabbed for COVID-19 and expand rapid testing in rampedup efforts to curb the dangerous spread of more-contagious strains like the U.K. variant, the Toronto Star has learned.

The mandatory tests will begin at Pearson International

Airport “in a few days” before being implemented at other airline terminals taking foreign flights, and at land border crossings, a senior government official said Thursday night.

Rapid testing kits are being deployed to long-term-care homes and schools as provincial public health officials brace for the impact of the COVID-19 U.K. variant. They warned the new strain could cause a spike in infections that would swamp hospitals and result in a dramatically higher death toll.

Premier Doug Ford will provide details of these and other measures Friday afternoon.

The mandatory testing of travellers follows Ford’s push that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau take stronger steps to seal the border.