COVID-19 cases may have plateaued in Toronto but top doctor warns against lifting restrictions too quickly
CTV
Toronto's top doctor says that the city is now seeing some "initial indicators" that the level of COVID-19 infection may have plateaued locally but she is warning against lifting public health restrictions too quickly.
Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa made the comment during a briefing at Toronto City Hall on Tuesday morning.
She said that while there are signs that the rate of infection in the city may have plateaued other lagging indicators such as hospitalizations, ICU admissions and deaths are still increasing, putting a “significant strain” on the healthcare system.
De Villa also said that she is concerned about any move to increase in-person interaction in the wider community just as students resume in-person learning for the first time in nearly a month.
“Ensuring the success of in-person learning for the rest of the school year relies on seeing solid evidence of an improving COVID-19 situation overall before introducing changes that are likely to lead to more in-person interaction,” she said. “We've learned from our own experiences and from the experiences of other jurisdictions that going too quickly risks the progress we have made and in some cases has forced us to go back to more restrictions. We have seen and felt just how disruptive this is.”
