Dr. Kieran Moore will provide the update, which will also cover the rapid distribution of the antigen test in the province, at 11am. The announcement comes amid a seventh wave of the virus in Ontario, which has seen a recent spike in case numbers, positivity rates and hospitalizations. Currently, the souvenir is only available to people aged 60 and over, immunocompromised people and indigenous peoples. Moore said Thursday that he expects a decision on the extension to come sometime this week. At the time, the province’s top doctor expressed concern about the relatively large number of people in Ontario who have yet to receive a third dose of the vaccine. “Of those five million who haven’t had even the first reminder … one million of them are over 50, and we know that age is a really important risk factor for COVID, serious outcomes and hospitalization,” Moore said. “So we’re asking first before we open another million … consider getting vaccinated in July.” While Ontario has seen a 20 per cent week-over-week increase in COVID-19 cases, an increase in the positivity rate from 8.4 per cent to 11.2 per cent and signs that hospitalizations and deaths are rising, Moore said he expects that the province could see the current wave peak this week. With files from The Canadian Press
