Ontario has just reported quite a notable spike in COVID-19-related deaths and the number is the highest we’ve seen in a while.

Weekly data from Public Health Ontario released on Thursday, October 20, revealed the highest death toll since May.

109 new COVID-19 fatalities were reported in the last week, compared to 67 the week before.

May 6 was the last time this number was this high when 112 virus-related deaths were recorded.

These numbers come alongside a consistent rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations across Ontario over recent weeks, with that tally growing to 1,663 in the province’s most recent report.

A new release from the Ontario Health Coalition Friday accuses the Ford government of “suppressing COVID-19 data” after its move to limit PCR testing for the virus at the beginning of the year.

“The data the Coalition found on long-term care and hospital outbreaks, hospitalizations, community spread and deaths should raise red flags,” read the release. “The abandonment of all public protections against the transmission of the virus is resulting in loss of health and death for a significant number of Ontarians.”

It’s now a waiting game to see if the latest virus data might be enough to create a larger discussion on protection measures among provincial officials, for what would be the third fall in a row.

Mask mandates ended in Ontario on March 21, 2022.

Earlier this month, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore warned we could be in for a “complex and difficult winter.”

He said greater recommendations on masking could follow, but it seems those would be only recommendations — not requirements for us to wear masks indoors once again.

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