'Where is Doug Ford?': Ontarians want premier to take action, as residents 'play roulette' by not getting COVID-19 vaccine

Ontario's chief medical officer of health, Dr. Kieran Moore, is indicating that we're starting to have to "live with the risk" of COVID-19 into the future.

"The higher we build our population immunity, that’s somewhere over 90 per cent, the less this virus will be able to spread amongst vaccinated and unvaccinated," Dr. Moore said at a press conference on Tuesday. "The virus won’t have a chance to mutate because there will be fewer opportunities to mutate within Ontario."

"Then our strategy is to prevent mutations coming in through our international borders... Once you leave this country your risk may go up to get exposed to a new variant, anywhere around the globe, but our strategy in Ontario, if we want to get back to a new normal, is to build the highest level of protection."

He indicated that, through this strategy, Ontario will see "small outbreaks" instead of more impactful "waves" of COVID-19, adding that it could happen as early as six to eight months from now, as more people receive their COVID-19 vaccines.

"You're actually playing roulette by not getting vaccinated with Delta being so aggressive and wanting to spread so rapidly across Ontario," Dr. Moore said.

He confirmed that 27.6 per cent of hospitalizations in Ontario are now in individuals under the age of 50.

"This is not just a disease that impacts the elderly," Dr. Moore said. "They are actually the most protected now with the highest rates of immunization."

As COVID-19 continues to be more of a concern heading into the fall, several people have taken to social media, particularly to questions why they haven't seen or heard from Ontario Premier Doug Ford.