"Glimmers of hope": Minister of health says good news coming this week

Ontario’s minister of health said there are “glimmers of hope” a day after Premier Doug Ford teased easing restrictions.

Minister Christine Elliott told reporters on Wednesday that an announcement on COVID-19 restrictions in the province will be made late this week.

“We know that people and businesses need certainty on what the future looks like, and as the premier mentioned yesterday, we will be providing more clarity later this week,” she said.

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While it is expected some restrictions are set to be lifted, Elliott said that Omicron cases have yet to peak in the province.

“We are beginning to see signs of stabilization. Omicron cases are expected to peak this month with a peak in hospitalizations and ICU admissions to follow,” she said.

It’s not clear what the Omicron peak will look like once restrictions are eased. Ontario has consistently set hospitalization records during this wave of COVID-19.

“New hospitalizations are slowing and are now doubling closer to every two weeks. Experience in our hospitals has confirmed Omicron is not as severe as Delta was,” said Elliott. “Far fewer patients are requiring intensive care than in previous waves, despite much higher rates of transmission in the community.”

She acknowledged that the next month would pose challenges to an already burnt-out healthcare sector. Frontline workers have borne the brunt of the pandemic, and with the Omicron wave, ICU doctors, nurses and staff have struggled to keep up with demand as they themselves get infected.

“February will continue to pose challenges, especially for our hospitals as people continue to require care for COVID-19. But our goal has always been to ensure capacity is there to provide care for those who need it,” she added.

A Toronto ICU physician, Dr. Michael Warner, tweeted that empty ICU beds in the province are not staffed and that at his own hospital, he has seven “empty” ICU beds that can’t accept patients due to nursing shortages.

Concrete example:
I was called to accept an intubated patient from the ER of a hospital with 14 “empty” ICU beds on paper.
I could not accept as my 7 “empty” ICU bed could not be staffed either.

I don’t understand why @ongov misinforms the public about operational ICU capacity. https://t.co/BIpUSZ48cD

— Michael Warner (@drmwarner) January 18, 2022

Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kieran Moore, said that he’s feeling cautiously optimistic about recent COVID-19 data in the province. A change from last Thursday when he told reporters that he could not guarantee restrictions would be eased on January 26.

“For the first time in several weeks, the number of hospitalizations in cases in the intensive care unit is increasing at a slower pace,” he said.

Despite this feeling of cautious optimism, he warned that Ontarians need to remain vigilant in the face of Omicron.

“We must stay cautious; we must stay disciplined, and never underestimate this virus as we look to take the small steps forward,” he said.

It is not yet clear which restrictions in the province will be lifted or modified later this week.