Toronto's first wave wasn't as bad as other cities around the world, but our second wave may be way, way worse. Cities like Milan and London that saw thousands of cases and high death counts the first time around are experiencing more gentle second waves right now. But Prague and Budapest, with numbers similar to Toronto's during the first wave, are seeing spikes 10 times greater than what they dealt with in April. For Toronto, that would mean as many as 3,000 cases a day. So what are we in for? Editor's Choice: Ontario Is Reporting Over 930 New Cases Of COVID-19 Today Why is the second wave of COVID-19 worse than the first in some cities? According to The Guardian, when cities experience early success, the public can get more resistant to anti-virus controls; call it a super not-helpful behavioral antibody. Another factor that can contribute to a deadly second wave is lockdown measures being lifted too early. This can occur more often in countries that did not see life-altering repercussions from the first wave. Basically, populations that didn't feel devasting impacts from the first wave can be lulled into a false sense of security. What cities have COVID-19 trajectories that are similar to Toronto? Toronto's experience with COVID-19 has been similar to Prague and Budapest. Both major cities lifted lockdown restrictions early after a relatively calm first wave. "I may have gotten carried away," Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis admitted in a speech on September 21, apologizing for opening up the country too early, reports Al Jazeera. In Budapest, residents were not impacted hugely by the first wave of COVID-19 and many took to vacationing to nearby countries, Daily News Hungary reports. That, mixed with eased restrictions, have caused the country to see an early second wave, which is already eclipsing the first. What will Toronto's second wave look like? According to Ontario’s top doctors, if we do not shut down indoor gathering spaces and impose restrictions once again, we could be facing a serious second wave. Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s Chief Medical Officer, recently sent an open letter to the province detailing the urgency of the issue. If we do not prohibit indoor dining and stay home unless absolutely necessary now, she says the city could be facing its second wave through to spring 2021. After reporting 939 new cases today, Premier Doug Ford called an emergency cabinet meeting to figure out what to do next.
