Ford, health minister to speak at 10 a.m. ET as government faces backlash on multiple fronts
CBC
Premier Doug Ford and Health Minister Sylvia Jones are set to hold a news conference in Toronto Thursday morning.
You can watch it live in this story beginning around 10 a.m. ET. in the player above.
The government has not said what the announcement is about. But it comes as many hospitals continue to be strained by high numbers of patients — particularly children — seeking care for illnesses like influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (more commonly known as RSV) and COVID-19.
Across all age groups, the number of people going to hospital emergency departments with respiratory complaints is higher than pre-pandemic seasonal averages for this time of year, according to Ontario's Acute Care Enhanced Surveillance (ACES) database.
The database tracks daily visits and admissions for respiratory illnesses, covering every major hospital in the province.
Rates of children and teens presenting at hospitals with respiratory symptoms have continued to fall since peaks in early November, though still remain considerably above the historical average. Several Ontario pediatric hospitals have recently announced they would cut back on surgeries and deploy staff to help backstop overburdened intensive care units and emergency rooms.
The load on hospitals is being made worse by continued widespread staffing shortages. Health-care professionals have said those shortages are in part caused by an exodus of nurses burned out after several years of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Toronto, test positivity rates are now in the double-digits for the flu, prompting Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa to make a fresh call for those who can to get their annual vaccine.
Nurses wages were capped by the Ford government's Bill 124. On Tuesday, an Ontario Superior Court judge ruled the law is unconstitutional. The government has said it plans to appeal the decision.
This morning will also be the first time in several weeks that Ford has taken questions from media as his government faces backlash to several other controversial moves, including new housing legislation and proposed changes to The Greenbelt Act.
