The advisory panel monitoring Ontario's response to COVID-19 has recommended immediate action to cut the impact of a new variant of the virus.
The Ontario COVID-19 Science Table, in a modelling report released Thursday, has not called for widespread lockdowns, but rather so-called "circuit breakers" which are measures from public health units intended to stop the spread of the variant, bringing case counts and the number of COVID-19-related hospitalizations down.
"Cases are climbing across most public health units. The Omicron variant will shortly become the dominant variant," read the report.
The Science Table has recommended circuit breakers designed to cut contacts by 50 per cent. It has also stressed vaccination as the best line of defence against the virus, which has sickened 639,341 people as of Thursday morning and killed 10,102 patients.
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, for example, has already cut the capacity of bars and restaurants in half. The Ontario Ministry of Health has already reduced capacity in venues seating over a thousand people to 50 per cent, effective midnight Friday night.
The panel has advised that COVID-19 booster shots provide more than adequate protection against the Omicron variant.
"Accelerated boosters for the most vulnerable and healthcare workers and their families, and caregivers will help reduce transmission to vulnerable people and help protect the health workforce," read the report.
Premier Doug Ford announced Wednesday that all Ontarians 18 and older may begin receiving booster shots starting Monday, and that booster supplies will be expanded.