Restrictions on gyms, dining could be extended, says Moore

Don’t make dinner reservations just yet.

The closures of restaurants for indoor dining, gyms, movie theatres, plus other restrictions could remain in place beyond their scheduled expiry date as Ontario sets daily records in COVID-19 hospitalizations, chief medical officer Dr. Kieran Moore warned Thursday.

“I can’t guarantee the 26th,” Moore said of the January date for lifting restrictions set by Premier Doug Ford earlier this month. “We need as a society to continue to protect the health-care system.”

Ontario’s top doctor also signalled that people with compromised immune systems, including those on chemotherapy and dialysis, will qualify for fourth vaccinations starting Friday, providing they are 84 days past their third dose.

While the Omicron wave could peak early next week with the number of cases levelling off, Moore said at his weekly news conference that health officials need to see hospitalizations plateauing before the province can start easing restrictions.

Even then, measures would be lifted gradually, in two-week stages to measure their impact — which means it will take time for some businesses to get back to full capacity.

“A sudden reopening, I’d be worried about another wave of Omicron,” said Moore. It’s not clear exactly when Omicron cases will level off, but when they do, it follows that a week or two later there will be peaks on hospitalizations and intensive care unit admissions.

The scientific director of the science table advising Ford and Moore said mobility of Ontarians is down, COVID-19 test positivity rates are down and hospital admission rates slowing, and those are all good signs.

“If we’re a little bit lucky, we could start to see hospital occupancy plateauing next week,” said Dr. Peter Juni, who stressed it is “too early” to ease restrictions on businesses while the province gauges the impact of reopening schools for inclass learning on Monday.

The lack of widespread PCR testing to get accurate case counts makes this a “challenging time” to measure where the province stands, which is why health authorities are looking more closely at indications of COVID-19 levels in wastewater, he added. More modelling from the science table could be ready by the end of next week.

Delays in reopening will further harm struggling businesses, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business said in calling for increased financial supports.

“This is deeply worrisome,” president Dan Kelly said on Twitter.

Ontario hit its seventh straight record of COVID-19 hospitalizations Thursday, with 3,630 patients, an increase of 182 from the previous day.

There were 500 coronavirus patients in intensive care, a number that could double by the end of next week according to forecasts from the science table.

Moore urged Ontarians who are eligible to get their booster shots, particularly those over 50, to help keep a lid on infection levels.

“What will take us off the rails is if we don’t maintain the booster doses,” he said.

A sudden reopening, I’d be worried about another wave of Omicron.

DR. KIERAN MOORE CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER