TORONTO — Premier Doug Ford says Ontario's current lockdown may need to be extended if soaring COVID-19 case rates don't come down.
He says the province could see more "extreme" measures put in place if residents ignore public heath rules aimed at curbing the spread of the virus.
The premier did not say what additional measures the province is considering or when they could be introduced.
But he says new COVID-19 projections that will be released next week are very concerning.
Ontario's associate medical officer of health says the province may need to return to a stricter lockdown similar to the one imposed last spring.
Dr. Barbara Yaffe said the current case rates are "scary" and urged people not to be complacent about following public health measures.
The current provincial lockdown began Boxing Day and is set to last until Jan. 23.
Ontario reported a new high of 4,249 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday.
It's a record-breaking figure for daily infections, even after factoring in 450 cases from Jan. 5 and Jan. 6 that were included in the Friday total.
The province also reported 26 more deaths from the virus.
Health Minister Christine Elliott says 1,382 new cases are in Toronto, 691 are in Peel Region, 427 are in York Region, 213 are in Niagara and 184 are in Windsor-Essex County.
The province says 369 people are intensive care in hospitals and 250 are on ventilators, with 1,446 hospitalized in total.
The province also says 14,932 vaccination doses were administered as of Friday morning, with 87,563 administered in total.
The CEO of a Toronto hospital running COVID-19 vaccination clinics says the facility will run out of shots Friday and urgently needs more.
The University Health Network executive made the plea on social media ahead of thousands of immunization appointments scheduled for this weekend.
Kevin Smith says 3,000 people are booked per day to receive the immunization on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.
Ontario said earlier this week that all long-term care residents, workers and essential caregivers in COVID-19 hot spots will be vaccinated by Jan. 21.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 8, 2021.
The Canadian Press
