in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, M ar ch 10 ,2 02 2 | 12 With hospitalizations and intensive care admissions continuing to drop, Onta- rio's top doctor said that the province is considering removing its masking man- date soon. Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario's Chief Med- ical Officer of Health, said during a brief- ing on the COVID-19 pandemic on March 3 that if the downward trends hold, the pub- lic can anticipate the government "remov- ing mandatory masking by the end of March." Across the province, he said there was a 25 per cent decline week over week for new COVID admissions in hospital, with the unvaccinated continuing to make up the majority of COVID-19 cases in intensive care. "These individuals have much higher rates of hospitalization, ICU admission and death compared to those fully vacci- nated and boosted. We are also seeing a continued decrease in the number of out- breaks in high-risk settings, such as hospi- tals and long-term care homes," he said. In Halton, there were 12 people being treated in hospitals as of March 4, un- changed from the previous week. Seven were admitted because of COVID-19 and five for other reasons but have since tested positive for the virus. No new deaths were reported. Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario's chief medical officer of health, said that the government is considering removing mandatory masking policy. CPAC/Youtube screenshot WEEKLY ROUNDUP: MASKING RULES MAY BE LIFTED SOON BAMBANG SADEWO bsadewo@metroland.com NEWS SCAN THIS CODE to view COVID cases tracker.