Prime Minister Doug Ford defends the public absence of Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health amid the sixth wave of the pandemic that has led to a 40 percent week-over-week increase in hospitalizations.

Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore has been providing weekly updates on COVID-19 since taking on his role, often using them as an opportunity to promote the benefits of vaccination or remind the public of the importance of maintaining distance and limiting contact.

However, the briefings were suspended last month amid an improvement in the viral picture, and it has been four weeks since Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health spoke to reporters.

Going back to March, Moore said he would continue to speak publicly when alerting was necessary if COVID cases increased, but he has been largely absent through the recent resurgence of viral activity and was not present on Wednesday when the province announced plans to expand fourth dose eligibility for citizens aged 60 and over.

During a press conference to discuss a different matter this morning, Ford was asked whether Moore would speak anytime soon, but he largely avoided the question and instead defended the work ethic of the Chief Medical Officer.

Ford said, "Let me tell you about Dr. Moore. Dr. Moore is one of the most dedicated people I've met at work. He never rests; he works around the clock for the people of Ontario. Just yesterday he met with all public health officials across the province. He works around the clock seven days a week, looking at the numbers, looking at the statistics, and always giving us advice, and he has done a great job since day one. I am one of his biggest fans."

Ford's comments on Wednesday come after the medical director of critical care at Michael Garron Hospital publicly called on Moore to resume providing COVID briefings in a video message posted on Twitter Tuesday evening.

In this video, Dr. Michael Warner accused the government of "pretending" that there is no return of the pandemic spread and said they failed to take the necessary steps to protect Ontarians, including returning to mask mandates.

However, Ford ignored suggestions that provincial hospitals could soon be overwhelmed, highlighting recent investments the province has made to add additional beds.

It is worth noting that medical experts have said there are not enough staff to manage many of these beds, making capacity increases largely theoretical solutions.

Ford said, "I do not take that lightly. We have the support, we have the beds, and our population is 15 million people, and among those 15 million we have 160 intensive care units that were there in the first place."

Edited by: Dima Abu Khair