SMDHU top doctor issues special statement urging continued health measures
Simcoe Muskoka's chief medical officer of health is "urging residents" to continue to follow COVID-19 health measures despite the recent lifting of several restrictions and mask mandates.
"We are still experiencing a substantial amount of COVID-19 transmission in our communities, and there is the potential for some increase in transmission in the weeks to come," stated Dr. Charles Gardner in a press release.
The region's top doctor noted that easing restrictions doesn't mean the pandemic has ended.
In the special statement issued on Wednesday, Dr. Gardner wrote that after two years of the pandemic, "we are now experiencing a dramatic shift in the province's response."
Read the complete statement here.
Still, the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) continues to push for vaccination, plus masking, physical distancing, hand washing and staying home when ill.
"Omicron variant is still very much present and can occur even amongst those vaccinated, although this risk is reduced with a primary series and booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine," SMDHU stated in the release.
Dr. Gardner would like to see more people get the booster shot, as less than half of those eligible have rolled up their sleeves for the dose.
"A booster dose does help to reduce the risk of becoming infected with COVID-19 and transmitting to others."
SMDHU also promotes vaccination for children aged five to 11 to "protect them at school and extracurricular activities."
The province lifted the mask mandate on Monday, except for high-risk settings, such as long-term care homes, health care settings, and public transit.
Some businesses may choose to continue to require patrons to wear a face mask.
Dr. Gardner foresees increased COVID-19 transmission in the fall and winter months, along with "new and potentially more transmissible variants of concern of COVID-19" that could arise "at any point."
Still, the medical officer noted that warmer weather brings a reduced risk of transmission with more people spending time outdoors.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Liberal MP says she's leaving politics over disrespectful dialogue, threats, misogyny
Liberal MP Pam Damoff says she won't run again in the next federal election, saying she has experienced misogyny, disrespectful dialogue in politics and threats to her life.
Concerns about Plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall Plexiglass barriers.
Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.
OPP officer said 'someone's going to get hurt' before wrong-way Hwy. 401 crash
As multiple Durham police cruisers were chasing a robbery suspect on the wrong side of Highway 401 Monday night, an Ontario Provincial Police officer shared his concerns, telling a dispatcher, "Someone's going to get hurt."
Ont. woman who faked pregnancy to defraud doulas arrested again on similar charges
Victims of a Brantford, Ont., woman who was sentenced to house arrest earlier this year for defrauding and deceiving doulas say they’re not surprised she’s been apprehended again on similar charges.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Poilievre returns to House unrepentant for calling Trudeau 'wacko,' Speaker not resigning
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
Construction begins on LGBTQ2S+ national monument in Ottawa
Shovels have hit the ground for constuction on Canada's LGBTQ2S+ national monument in Ottawa.
B.C. man awarded $5,000 in damages in first-of-it-kind intimate image case
In a first-of-its-kind case, a B.C. tribunal has ruled on a dispute involving the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, awarding damages and issuing orders that the photos be destroyed and taken offline.