Ontario

Ontario performed reasonably well by Canadian and international standards in combating this pandemic’s first wave. It followed the federal lead with a strong lockdown which “flattened the curve” in the sense of a declining rate of new cases by late April and began curbing the COVID death rate by mid-May.  Sadly, over the course of the subsequent summer, the Ontario government chose to phase out social distancing restrictions despite the rate of new cases never having been driven below the numbers which had sparked the first wave.  Predictably, that enabled an even more deadly second wave which cost the lives of more than 4,000 Ontarians. Incredibly but in keeping with its business-first priorities, it enabled a third wave by again lifting the protective restrictions in February 2021 when average daily new cases were still ten times the level which had sparked the second wave.

Over the past two years, Ontario public health authorities have mostly adhered to the Ford government’s political message to the effect that the pandemic is over, providing increasingly less up-to-date data that would enable Ontarians to better protect themselves from repeated COVID infections though simple precautionary measures like wearing masks when appropriate.

The most credible source for that missing information is COVID-19 Resources Canada, whose most recent Hazard Index is copied below. It’s estimate of the proportion of Ontarian who are currently infectious is especially helpful in that regard.  If only governments could be made to provide something that easy to grasp.