New COVID-19 modelling coming next week will be ‘wake-up call’: Ford
Posted January 8, 2021 11:01 am.
Last Updated January 8, 2021 3:35 pm.
Premier Doug Ford said the province will release new COVID-19 modelling numbers early next week that will be a “wake-up call” to Ontarians.
Ford offered an ominous hint about what to expect when the new modelling numbers are released on Monday or Tuesday.
“When you see the modelling you will fall off your chair,” he said. “They are actually scary numbers, this is crunch time right now.”
Ford urged the public to avoid get-togethers and to stay home as much as possible to try and stem the rapidly-spreading virus.
“This is going to get out of hand” if people don’t follow public health advice, he warned. “This is the most serious situation we’ve been in since the beginning of the pandemic.”
Ontario has seen record-setting daily case counts over the last several days, with a staggering 4,249 new COVID-19 cases confirmed on Friday.
That number included an additional 450 cases from a Toronto Public Health data delay.
RELATED: Ontario’s single-day COVID-19 cases top 4,000 amid data backlog
“We are in a crisis,” Ford added “That’s how I can describe it, it is scary and we need to work together.”
The premier said Ontario hospitals are “quickly running out” of vaccines, noting that the Pfizer vaccine will be depleted across the province by the end of the week.
President and CEO of University Health Network (UHN), Dr. Kevin Smith, tweeted that UHN ran out of vaccines on Friday.
In a release, UHN later confirmed it won’t be able to run vaccination clinics this weekend, but expect a new shipment to arrive on Monday.
We’re out of vaccine @UHN on Friday and have 3000 people booked per day Sat, Sun, Monday. Urgently need vaccine. https://t.co/lqS6GA0eE8
— Dr. Kevin Smith (@KevinSmithUHN) January 8, 2021
Ford urged Health Canada to approve the AstraZeneca vaccine that’s already received the green light in other parts of the world, saying help from the federal government is crucial.
“The Prime Minister is working his back off, he’s trying his very best, he really is (but) we are in desperate need of the vaccine here.”
