The head of Ontario's COVID-19 Science Advisory Table says it is "very clear" that Ontario is now in the middle of a sixth wave of the pandemic driven by a relaxing of restrictions in the province.

"Oh, we're in the middle of it," Dr. Peter Juni told CP24 Tuesday night when asked whether he thinks the province is in the midst of a new wave. "When you look at our wastewater, it's very clear. You can call it whatever you want, you know; whether it’s a resurgence of the Omicron wave we had or a sixth wave, the point is really to understand this is not a BA.2 wave."

Juni estimated, based on viral levels measured in wastewater, that Ontario is currently seeing somewhere between 30,000 and 35,000 new infections per day. The real number of cases is almost impossible to measure because testing in the province has been severely scaled back.

The Ford government has been moving ahead with lifting COVID-19 restrictions in the province, with virtually all restrictions set to lift in April.