Toronto Doctor Says He's Seeing 'A Dramatic Shift' In The ER Thanks To Current Measures

"We can celebrate, but we shouldn't relax," says Dr. Kashif Pirzada.

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A Toronto doctor says he's noticed positive changes in the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admissions he's seen in just the past few weeks.

Dr. Kashif Pirzada, an emergency room doctor working in the Greater Toronto Area, told Narcity that he's witnessed "such a dramatic shift" take place, which he attributes to the current measures in place.

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"There's a big difference from even two weeks ago. Two to three weeks ago, it was almost like jumping into a war zone. There [were] people sick everywhere, ambulances piling up. [...] I think in the first two hours of my shift at one ER, I saw 25 people who were seriously ill with COVID," said Pirzada.

"There was such a dramatic shift in the last two to three weeks. I think that's the sign of the measures working. We're still seeing people here and there, but it's starting to slow quite a bit," he continued.

However, Pirzada warned that "we can be optimistic but we shouldn't let our guard down." In fact, he suggests extending the stay-at-home order in Ontario to avoid another surge in cases. "ICUs are still filled to the gills. There's no margin for error. [...] We can celebrate but we shouldn't relax right now."

  • Abby Neufeld was a writer at Narcity Canada. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English and Professional Communications at the University of Victoria. Her past work has been published in The Toronto Star, Bitch Media, Canadian Dimension, This Magazine, and more. In 2019, Abby co-founded The New Twenties, an environmentally-focused literary and arts magazine.

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