New science advisory table in Ontario to launch in October

Public Health Ontario says a new science advisory table will hold its first meeting in October and will provide guidance on COVID-19 and future public health emergencies.

The new team will be called the Ontario Public Health Emergencies Science Advisory Committee. Fifteen core members who are outside of Public Health Ontario will make up the team.

They will provide the Ministry of Health and Public Health Ontario with scientific and technical public health advice.

The provincial government agency says it will continue to provide COVID-19 surveillance data, including wastewater data and case trends.

The new group replaces the current science table, which will have its COVID-19 dashboard discontinued next week.

The previous science table has shared a number of concerns about the new group, including a lack of independence in choosing topics to pursue and worries that the group’s ability to communicate findings to the public could be hindered.