Ontario's ending the year with some new COVID rules

Plus, the year in Toronto homicides and new research on Omicron and rapid tests [The Star] First Up [By Lex Harvey] By Lex Harvey Good morning, and welcome to the last First Up of 2021. Here’s the latest on Ontario’s updated COVID rules, Toronto’s year in homicides and new research on Omicron and rapid tests. DON’T MISS Steve Russell/The Star covid rules [Ontario cut the quarantine period and limited PCR testing]( Vaccinated Ontarians who develop COVID-19 symptoms will only have to isolate for five days (down from 10) as part of a slew of pandemic rule changes announced by the province yesterday. Public PCR tests will also be limited to high risk individuals — meaning daily case counts won’t hold much water — and kids will return to class Jan. 5, two days later than scheduled to allow schools to boost safety precautions. [Here’s the latest on the new measures from Kristin Rushowy](. - More: Indoor sports and concert venues will be capped at 50 per cent capacity, or 1,000 people, whichever is less — [including Leafs and Raptors games](. - The aftermath: Some experts warn the shorter quarantine time (which follows recent advice from the CDC) could increase the risk of transmission by making it more likely for someone to come out of isolation contagious. - Another angle: Struggling to book a PCR test? [Not if you have $350](. Steve Russell/The Star crime [Toronto recorded its third-deadliest year in almost two decades]( Eighty-four people were victims of homicide in Toronto this year, making 2021 the third bloodiest — after 2018 (97 homicides) and 2007 (86 homicides) —since police began collecting data in 2004. More fatal shootings, domestic violence, and the mental health challenges of another pandemic year added to the toll, Gilbert Ngabo and Alyshah Hasham report. [Here’s a closer look at the stats](. - By the numbers: Shootings accounted for the majority (46) of killings this year, but mental health played an increasing role in homicides. About 32 per cent of homicides this year were related to mental health problems, compared to 23 per cent in 2020. - Go deeper: The two youngest homicide victims of the year were only two and three years old. The two-year-old girl was found to have suffered blunt force trauma, for which a [28-year-old man was charged with second-degree murder]( in May. - More: Police say they’re becoming more effective at apprehending perpetrators. “We are around 74 per cent for our solve rate this year,” said homicide Det. Sgt. Terry Browne. Steve Russell/The Star testing [Rapid tests show false negatives for Omicron at a much higher rate than other variants]( New Swiss research on rapid antigen tests adds to the reasons you should be leery of that coveted one-line. Ontario’s science table head said the new data suggests the sensitivity of rapid tests drops to about half when detecting early onset cases of Omicron, when carriers are most infectious, Kenyon Wallace reports. [Here’s what you need to know](. - What it means: If 100 people have contracted Omicron and are infectious, only about 50 will test positive using rapid antigen testing. - Why it matters: The concerning research comes as many Ontarians are relying on rapid tests for planning their New Year’s celebrations. Parents are also depending on antigen tests to decide whether or not to send their kids back to school. - By the numbers: Around 720,000 people are thought to have COVID in Ontario right now — or one in 20. [Holiday sale] Get the last deal of the year on a Star subscription. Become a digital subscriber now and read as much of the Star as you'd like in the new year for as little as $1/month. If you're already a subscriber, thank you. If you're not, [choose from one of our great offers here](. WHAT ELSE [Here’s what’s open and closed]( in Toronto on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Peel police will [start collecting race data during traffic stops]( in an effort to address disparities. As a boy, he was engulfed in flames at a Barrie gas station. Seven decades later, [he has finally been awarded compensation](. Ontario will refund you up to $200 to travel within the province. [Will it be enough to help rebuild a battered tourism industry?]( Here’s Rick Salutin with a [frothy year-end column]( on the future chances of democracy and fascism. [“I feel bad for the kids.”]( Greigs speak for many families with world juniors cancelled. ICYMI Supplied Photo [Here’s how a misspelled name threw this couple down the rabbit hole of Canada’s immigration bureaucracy.]( PREVIOUSLY... Rick Eglinton/The Star DECEMBER 31, 1986: Organizers lost count of just how many people flocked to Nathan Phillips Square to ring in the new year. The downtown Toronto square holds up to 8,000, but the revellers spilled out well beyond its borders. Thanks for reading and supporting First Up this year — it’s been a pleasure spending my mornings with you. You can reach the team at [firstup@thestar.ca](mailto:firstup@thestar.ca?source=newsletter&utm_source=ts_nl&utm_medium=emailutm_email=6C53B63A8E3FAD70AD4EF13004527437&utm_campaign=frst_96314). We’re taking a break this weekend to ring in the new year, but First Up will be back Monday. See you in 2022. [The Star]( If you're not enjoying these emails, please tell us how we can make them better by emailing newsletterfeedback@thestar.ca. Or, if you'd prefer, you can unsubscribe from this newsletter by clicking the first link below. [Unsubscribe From This Newsletter]( [Sign Up for More Newsletters and Email Alerts]( [Become a Star Subscriber]( [View in Browser]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. 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