Here's what you need to know as Ontario moves to lift its mask mandate Monday
CBC
Starting Monday, it will largely be up to you whether or not to wear a mask to protect yourself and others against COVID-19 in Ontario.
The province is lifting its mask mandate for most indoor settings, even as experts warn of an increase in infections and hospitalizations in the coming weeks as a result.
That increase should be manageable, the experts say, but how the public responds to the change will matter. And with the province moving to lift all remaining public health measures by the end of April, individuals will have even more of a hand in what the future of COVID-19 in Ontario looks like.
Health experts and officials generally agree that individuals should weigh their own risk when deciding whether to wear a mask curb their own chances of infection and the spread of the virus.
To help you make up your mind, here's a look back at this week's COVID-19 data and some highlights out of the science advisory table's latest guidance.
Overall case counts no longer paint a clear picture of where the province stands when it comes to infection rates because of restricted access to PCR testing.
But new modelling released Thursday by Ontario's science advisory table suggests — based on a slight uptick in wastewater data — we could soon see a rise in hospitalizations and ICU occupancy.
On Monday, Ontario reported 602 people hospitalized with the virus and 228 patients in intensive care.
Hospitalizations jumped to 688 the next day. Meanwhile, the number of people in ICU continued its gradual decline, with 220 reported Tuesday. Not all hospitals report data over the weekend, however.
Hospitalizations continued to decline daily after that, hitting 615 on Friday. ICU occupancy also dipped below 200 on Thursday for the first time this year — something not seen since Dec. 21, 2021.
As for infections, Ontario saw a rolling seven-day average of 1,768 this week based on very limited testing. The province reported 1,116 confirmed cases on Monday and 1,076 on Tuesday, but that figure rose past the 2,000-mark to 2,011 on Wednesday and 2,398 on Thursday.
The actual number of new daily infections is likely 15,000 and 20,000, according to the science advisory table, with 3.5 million to four million people infected since Dec. 1.
Meanwhile, the test positivity rate ranged from 12 to 13 per cent based on the PCR testing conducted.
The daily number of deaths reported is also decreasing with another 59 deaths reported this past week.
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WARNING: This story contains disturbing details about gruesome deaths and sexual abuse.