Expert urges caution as COVID-19 transmission remains high
Summer is around the corner, and with the sixth wave of the pandemic appearing to slow, York Region's top doctor urges caution.
The medical officer of health, Dr. Barry Pakes, told CTV News that the pandemic is not over although this recent wave is easing.
"We are by no means out of the woods yet," said Dr. Pakes.
He noted that it is safe for those who are fully vaccinated and healthy to attend long weekend events but said people must be cognizant of those who are immunocompromised.
"In situations like that, when you know there's a person like that, or when you don't know where you're going to be in close contact with them in a confined space, you might want to wear a mask."
Dr. Pakes said medical experts are now looking towards the fall when many are preparing for future COVID-19 waves or other respiratory illnesses impacting Ontario hospitals.
He mentioned that a worst-case scenario would be a variant of the more severe virus, which would mean a renewed mask mandate or the reopening of mass immunization centres.
At present, Dr. Pakes said York Region is in "good shape" heading into summer.
"As good of shape as possible is where we want to end up. Transmission is still fairly high, meaning people who are still vulnerable are still worried."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
Storage shed or shipping container? B.C. Supreme Court settles long-running bylaw dispute
A long-running dispute over whether a structure on a Surrey property violates a city bylaw that prohibits shipping containers on residential lots has been settled by the B.C. Supreme Court