Ontario Doctor Claims 6th COVID-19 Wave Is Here & This Is Why You Probably Shouldn't Panic

An Ontario epidemiologist claims the province is now in its sixth wave of COVID-19, but you may want to take a breath before you get flashbacks of remote school and strict restrictions.

Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease specialist with the University Health Network, told CP24 that Ontario is in a wave — however, it is unclear how big the wave will be.

"It's clear that there are more cases now than there were a week ago and two weeks ago. We could call this a wave, we just don't know the size of the wave but it's here," said Bogoch on March 29.

Ontario's COVID-19 case numbers have risen since the restrictions were lifted earlier this month, but Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario's chief medical officer of health, expected indicators to rise.

"As Dr. Moore has previously said, indicators are expected to rise as Ontarians increasingly interact with one another. However, thanks to our high vaccination rates and natural immunity, as well as the arrival of antivirals, Ontario has the tools necessary to manage the impact of the virus," a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health told Narcity.

Ontario reported 2,814 new daily COVID-19 cases for March 30, a steep 74.78% increase from Tuesday's daily COVID-19 numbers and the highest daily case count for March 2022.

According to the Ontario government, as of March 30, 165 people are in the ICU for COVID-19 related illnesses, and 778 people are currently hospitalized for COVID-19.

The Ontario Science Advisory Table also reports that as of March 26, wastewater signals of COVID-19 have a "doubling time" of 9.6 days with a test positivity rate of 14.5%.

However, despite an increase in COVID-19 indicators, the MOH says, "The latest modelling shows that our hospitals and health system can manage any of the projected scenarios, while not compromising our ability to continue addressing the surgical backlog caused by the pandemic."

Nevertheless, according to CTV News Toronto, Doris Grinspun, CEO of the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario, does have concerns over the rise in hospitalizations.

"If we are not careful, people that are waiting for surgeries and procedures will again be postponed because we don't have enough human resources in the system," said Grinspun.