GTA doctors sound alarm, urge province to reinforce COVID public health measures

Doctors across the GTA are sounding the alarm bells as the 6th wave gains momentum. Shauna Hunt with the calls for the Province to ramp up public health measures.

By Lucas Casaletto and Shauna Hunt

Doctors are speaking out, calling on Ontario’s Ford government to strongly consider reinforcing public health measures as COVID-19 indicators point to a sixth wave hitting the province hard.

This time around, what makes matters unique is residents navigating the current wave without daily updates from provincial government officials, such as from chief medical officer of health, Dr. Kieran Moore. Ontario’s top doctor has been absent for about a month now, refusing to grant interviews or speak publicly since announcing that mask mandates would lift in March.

While the government is taking a different tone than those on the front lines, such as Doug Ford calling the recent increase in hospitalizations “a little spike,” CityNews continues to check in on a local level.

Toronto’s medical officer of health, Dr. Eileen de Villa, recently encouraged people to wear masks in most daily settings. “Wear the best quality mask that you have access to,” she said, referencing public spaces.

Mayor John Tory says he will follow de Villa’s direction when it comes to the possibility of reinforcing a local masking mandate.

“I will follow that advice. [de Villa] is the one that has the expertise and the access to all other scientists, including the ones you see on television, to give me that advice if and when the time comes.”

De Villa was not available for comment before this story was published.


RELATED: Sick children are flooding Ontario emergency rooms with COVID-like symptoms in ‘dramatic increase’


A more dire tone is coming from doctors on the ground in Toronto hospitals. An emergency room doctor, Lisa Salamon-Switzman, said that hospitals do not have the capacity to ramp up if COVID circumstances continue to worsen.

“We do not have the staff. We can’t afford to cancel non-COVID-related care again,” she tweeted. “The number of hypertensive emergencies I have seen this last year is unprecedented. Hypertensive intracranial bleeds, aortic dissections.”

Dr. Michael Warner, head of the ICU at Michael Garron Hospital in Toronto, admits he doesn’t know how bad things will get — only that it’s happening right now, and action is needed.

“Right now, the government is pretending that it isn’t happening,” Warner said. “Shots three and four need to get into people as quickly as possible. Masks need to go back on in essential areas. If you’re going to the grocery store, if you’re going to school, if you’re going to a pharmacy — essential activities — everyone should be maximum protected. You don’t know who is immunocompromised, and those people have a right to do those things safely.”

covid-19 testing

The Ontario government announced it will start administering fourth doses of the COVID-19 vaccines to people 60 years and older. Photo courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson.


Wastewater signals have yet to meet threshold for Section 22 order: York Region top doctor

“Peel is seeing a moderate but expected increase in key indicators of community activity reflecting our transition to the Exit Step of the provincial reopening framework,” Dr. Lawrence Loh, the medical officer in Peel Region, said. “At this time, however, we are not seeing the same extent of transmission resurgence observed elsewhere in Ontario that would justify consideration of broader local action.”

York Region’s top doctor, Dr. Barry Pakes, says all three have been in constant communication.

“There is no question that the measures we have available to us as medical officers of health, including a Section 22, is something that we have been thinking of throughout,” Pakes said in an interview. “I don’t think, and many would agree, we haven’t met that threshold yet.”

Top doctors can issue Section 22 orders under the provincial Health Protection and Promotion Act by written order, requiring a person to take or refrain from a specified action regarding a contagious disease, such as COVID-19.

When asked what that threshold could be, Pakes said it’s undetermined.

“That is the real question… in terms of how high does that wastewater signal need to go, it’s still a bit unsure. The reason for that is we’re seeing a lot of spread in the community, but that is for the most part because we have such good vaccine coverage. It’s mostly in people who are not going to get very ill. As medical officers of health, both among ourselves, we’re meeting regularly [and] having conversations of where that threshold needs to be.”

Wastewater surveillance has suggested that COVID-19 activity is almost as high as the January peak.

Pakes says that this is still a public emergency and that the focus needs to be on ramping up third and fourth doses. There is also some concern over rapid spread in the coming weeks with more people gathering for Ramadan and Easter.

Ontario residents aged 60 and older will be eligible to book a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose starting Thursday.

Fourth doses are being offered at a recommended interval of five months after the initial booster shot, and appointments will be available to those who are eligible through the provincial vaccine portal, some public health units, Indigenous-led vaccination clinics and some pharmacies starting at 8 a.m.


With files from the Canadian Press

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