The provincial government is shedding some light on its $20 million Ontario COVID-19 Rapid Research Fund.
The fund focuses on areas of research such as vaccine development, diagnostics, drug trials and development, and social sciences.
These 15 proposals are the first to receive funding from the Ontario COVID-19 Rapid Research Fund, with additional projects expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
Premier Doug Ford highlighted some of the initiatives, including a new process that would increase testing and a study looking into whether antibodies remain in people who have recovered from COVID-19.
Ford stated he won’t hesitate to backtrack and put restrictions back in place as COVID-19 numbers increase. He calls recent trends “concerning” and says that he will continue to rely on the advice of medical experts.
The Premier is calling for broader testing of all parts of Ontario’s population, noting they don’t know how many people could have the virus but aren’t showing any symptoms.
Ford wants to see increased testing by public health officials and backs concerns of those working in the trucking industry who would like to be tested.
