Amid growing criticism about his absence, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health is set to provide his first media briefing about the pandemic in over a month on Monday afternoon (April 11).
According to the Ministry of Health, Dr. Kieran Moore “will provide an update on how the province is managing COVID-19 and expanding access to antivirals” at 1 p.m. at Queen’s Park. You will be able to watch his remarks live in this story.
His last media briefing was on March 9, when he announced the lifting of the province’s mask mandate. At that time, he said he would speak publicly if the pandemic situation warranted it.
VIDEO: Ontario’s chief medical officer of health provides COVID-19 update
If you are experiencing audio issues with CPAC’s YouTube live stream, visit ola.org/en/legislative-business/video/media-studio.
However, Dr. Moore not appeared publicly since then to address the status of the pandemic, despite rising cases and rising hospitalizations largely attributed to the lifting of the mask mandate on March 21. He has also not done any interviews with media since early March.
Dr. Peter Juni, the outgoing head of the province’s COVID-19 science advisory table, said last week that wastewater surveillance data suggest the province is seeing 100,000 to 120,000 new daily cases of COVID-19.
Last Tuesday, Ontario health minister Christine Elliott said it was “Dr. Moore’s choice” not to do any interviews since his last media briefing.
“He felt that we were at the point now with the pandemic that we have the tools that we need to to learn to live with it and so that frequent representations and meetings with him aren’t necessary,” Elliott said. “If he feels that the situation changes and he wants to come back and do more frequent interviews and meetings, then he’s certainly free to do so.”
During a media conference last Wednesday, Premier Doug Ford defended Dr. Moore when a reporter asked about the chief medical officer of health’s public absence.
“He is on the job 24/7 looking at the figures, looking at the stats and giving myself and our cabinet advice and he has done an incredible job from day one,” Ford said. “I am his biggest fan.”
