Ontario’s top doctor weighs declaring monkeypox outbreak over

The chief medical officer of health in Ontario is deciding whether the province can declare the monkeypox outbreak officially over.

Dr. Kieran Moore said last month that the number of active cases peaked in mid-July.

He says there haven’t been any major increases in the past few weeks, just intermittent cases.

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Moore says he is now watching for a few more incubation periods — which can be up to 21 days but is usually seven to 14 days — to see if the low-risk pattern continues.

Public health units have started offering second doses of monkeypox vaccines.

According to Public Health Ontario’s latest report, there have been 674 confirmed cases in the province up to Oct. 4, most of them in Toronto.

READ MORE: Public Health Ontario reports 1st confirmed female case of monkeypox