TORONTO — The Ontario government is moving to expand the collection of data related to the spread of COVID-19, in an effort to get a more complete picture of the oubreak.
Health Minister Christine Elliott on Monday announced the government plans to record data on race, income, language and household size for individuals who test positive for the virus.
Elliott said this is in response to requests by community leaders and public health experts.
A proposed regulatory change will permit people who test positive to be asked additional questions about their race, income, languages spoken, and household size.
Individuals retain the right to not answer any or all of the questions. Privacy will be protected as it is for all information currently collected about other diseases.
The minister said "We recognize that some Ontarians may be at greater risk of COVID-19 infection. This includes racialized Ontarians and individuals with lower incomes."
Elliott added that collecting information province-wide, and in a standardized way, will help guide decisions as the province works to stop the spread of the virus while protecting those who are most vulnerable.
To assist in implementing the data collection, the government is consulting with health equity stakeholders and experts, including the Ontario Anti-Racism Directorate and Indigenous partners.
Anonymized data will be made available to recognized researchers thorugh the Ontario Health Data Platform.
The announcement was made as Ontario reported the lowest one-day tally of new COVID-19 cases since late March.
The province announced 181 new cases as of Sunday, along with eight new deaths.
Elliott said in a tweet that more than two-thirds of the new cases were in Toronto or Peel, with all other regions reporting fewer than 10 new cases, including many with no new cases.
Toronto, Peel and Windsor-Essex are still being held back from moving to Stage 2 of the province's phased COVID-19 re-opening plan.
Premier Doug Ford announced Monday that Durham, Haldimand-Norfolk, Halton, Hamilton, Lambton, Niagara and York can move to Stage 2 this Friday.
There were exempted when most of the province was allowed to move to that stage last Friday, when restaurant patios and hair salons were permitted to reopen, among other measures.
