The scientific advisory panel on COVID-19 points to several key indicators it says signal the start of a wave, just over a month after most public health measures, including mask orders, ended. For the first time since May, test positivity is above 10%, the expert group said in a series of tweets on Wednesday. Sewage signals are increasing across the province as a whole and in most areas, he added. About 80 percent of public health units are seeing an exponential increase in cases, though the group says the true reproduction number is difficult to determine since the province moved to limit PCR testing. 4) ~80% of public health units have an exponential increase in cases (Rt>1), indicating that this occurs across the province (Note, Rt is more difficult to interpret given limited PCR testing).(7/17) < a href=“https://t.co/XXwMWwNCU1">pic.twitter.com/XXwMWwNCU1 —@COVIDSciOntario On top of that, Ontario is seeing its first increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations since May, with the number of people admitted for the virus higher than at any time last summer. The latest figures tracked by the science board show that as of June 29, 605 people were hospitalized as a result of the virus. This is an increase of 89 people compared to the previous week. An estimated six people were dying a day from the virus on July 3, up from three the previous week, the group says. Indications of a new wave in Ontario come as several G10 countries have already seen a jump in cases stemming from Omicron subvariants, including France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium and Switzerland, among others. “We may be a few weeks behind on this rise,” the advisory group said.
Get the 3 doses “now” if you haven’t already, the team says
The team says the current evidence does not suggest that BA.5 is more serious than the strains that caused previous waves or that it will lead to the level of hospitalizations seen at earlier points in the pandemic. “However, any increase comes at a time when hospitals are already facing staff shortages and record waiting times – this affects us all,” the advisory panel said. “And if BA.5 spreads widely, we may see an increase in deaths among higher-risk groups, such as the elderly, as seen in previous waves.” LISTEN | COVID is on the rise this summer. Are we facing a hard fall?: Metro Morning7:56 COVID is on the rise this summer. Are we facing a hard fall? Barry Pakes is the Medical Officer of Health for York Region. The team advises anyone in a busy indoor public environment to wear a high-quality mask and ventilate as much as possible by opening doors and windows for airflow. Anyone over the age of 18 who has not had a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine should “do so now,” the group says. Anyone age 60 or older or immunocompromised should also get their fourth dose now, he says, noting that while updated vaccines targeting newer variants may be available this fall, “it makes sense to get the vaccines you meet criteria for now”. LISTEN | What the new COVID sub-variant means for Ontario: Metro Morning13:50 What the new sub-variant of COVID means for Ontario COVID is on the rise in Ontario, and the new BA.5 subvariant is expected to soon become the dominant strain in the province, says Dr. Fahad Razak, head of Ontario’s COVID-19 scientific advisory panel. Dr. Sohal Goyal, chief medical officer of a “Covid, Cold and Flu Clinic” in Mississauga, says he’s seeing an increase in patients. “You can be reinfected by BA.5 even if you have recently been infected by an older strain,” the team says. “Non-serious infections can still disrupt your life and increase your long-term risk of COVID. Providing a clear, complete picture about the COVID-19 situation has become increasingly difficult over the past several months after the provincial government restricted lab testing and stopped releasing school-related data. On June 11, the province also switched to weekly reporting of COVID-19 data after more than two years of daily updates.
