Ontario is reporting 2,716 cases of COVID-19 on Monday — its lowest number of new COVID-19 cases in almost six weeks (2,557 cases were reported on April 1). The province also reported nearly 27,200 tests completed and 19 deaths. The new COVID numbers include 807 new cases in Toronto, 707 in Peel, 294 in York Region, 168 in Durham, and 106 in Hamilton.
There are 828 patients in ICU due to a COVID-related critical illness with 547 on ventilators due to a COVID-related critical illness.
In early April, the Ontario government declared a province-wide state of emergency with a stay-at-home order in an effort to stem increasing hospitalization numbers. The order is set to end on May 20; however, some doctors are recommending Ontario’s stay-at-home order be extended for another two weeks.
Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, the medical officer of health and chief executive officer of the Eastern Ontario Health Unit, told CTV Morning Live on Monday that the province is heading in the right direction, but the numbers are still high.
“I don’t think we’ll be in a position to stop the lockdown,” Dr. Roumeliotis said. “I would recommend an extension for at least a couple of weeks, through the May 24 weekend because the lower we are when we reopen, the better it will be because we want to make this the last lockdown we have.”
Dr. Roumeliotis added that this would also give health units more time to vaccinate more residents.
“We’re close to 50 per cent; we’ll be 60 to 70 per cent very soon in Ontario and that gives us an opportunity to be able to open up in a way that will be irreversible. I think it’s worth the extra two weeks to ensure we’re going in the right direction and don’t have to return to lockdown,” he said.
As of Monday, 6,238,778 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered out of a total of 7,056,415 doses delivered to the province (meaning 88.4 per cent of doses delivered have been administered)
And Ontarians are weighing in on the issue on Twitter.
What businesses should do is open on May 20th so we can go out there and support to oppose the extension because this is beyond ridiculous and dangerous. #EndTheLockdown #ontariolockdown #firefordopenontario #onpoli
— DeeDee ? (@deejammin_) May 10, 2021
Medical tyrants ask for extension of lockdown, in Ontario.
Over past 5 days there have been on average 27 deaths involving COVID a day in a region with around 14,755,211 people. Is lockdown proportionate, when it doesn’t even work? https://t.co/GuRwEabNEU pic.twitter.com/swiDCbxHcl— Thinking Slow (@ThinkingSlow1) May 8, 2021
Hopefully Ford will listen to the science table and extend the lockdown. ICUs are still too full and cases too high
— catherine dickson (@cmdott) May 10, 2021
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