Premier Doug Ford says that he is “super concerned” by a COVID-19 positivity rate in Toronto that is now nearly double the “high alert” threshold set by his government.

Toronto’s seven-day positivity rate stood at 3.2 per cent as recently as Monday but it has since increased to 4.4 per cent and the city’s Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa has said that she is “concerned that the upward climb is not over.”

Speaking with reporters during a briefing at Queen’s Park on Thursday afternoon, Premier Doug Ford said that that he is “definitely concerned” by the apparent trend in Toronto but is still hopeful that it can be reversed.

“I am super concerned about it,” he said. “I look at these numbers every single day and I just wish again that I could tell you what is going to happen two weeks down the road. I really hope that we bring these numbers down but people have to follow the guidelines.”

Toronto Public Health reported 371 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, which was the highest number since 381 cases were reported back on Sept. 28.

There was also an additional 13 hospitalizations reported, as well as six new deaths.

On Thursday, Ford noted that there have been some encouraging signs in other hard-hit regions that were moved into a modified version of Stage 2, specifically Ottawa.

Nonetheless, he said that data out of Toronto is worrisome.

Earlier on Thursday, Health Minister Christine Elliott also weighed in on Toronto’s high positivity rate, telling reporters at Queen’s Park that the health measures table is “following the situation very closely.”

“We are looking to see what action the measures that we put in place are going to have. It is going to be a bit delayed. But if we need to take further measures of course we will do so,” she said.