COVID-related staff shortage cancels surgeries at London hospital: doctor

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The London region’s largest hospital is urging the public to be cautious as widespread transmission of COVID-19 puts up to 600 of its workers out of work, a shortage that has already canceled some scheduled surgeries.

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The London Health Sciences Center reported 321 COVID-19 cases among staff by the end of the week and around 300 more who are close contacts or away from work awaiting COVID-19 test results, it said. medical director Adam Dukelow.

“The impact on our staff is significant. . . . This causes stress and strain on our system and those left working,” he said Thursday.

“The unprecedented amount of sick time leads to an unprecedented amount of overtime for those who are working. They are called in to work overtime almost constantly at a time when they are already fatigued.”

Healthcare workers who test positive for COVID-19 must self-isolate for 10 days, a higher standard than the minimum five-day quarantine for cases in the general public.

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While the number of staff absent due to the virus is lower than during the peak of the Omicron wave in January, when LHSC had more than 500 staff cases, the volume of marginalized workers is having a major impact on hospital operations, Dukelow said. .

“In recent days we have had to cancel some surgeries scheduled at short notice due to limitations in human resources for health,” he said.

Between the fifth and sixth waves, the hospital’s operating rooms were operating at about 90 percent of pre-pandemic volumes, Dukelow said. With the peak of the sixth wave, LHSC is now slightly below 90 percent of its surgical volume.

“What that means is that we’re not decreasing backlog, if anything we’re adding it when we’re at 90 percent,” Dukelow said.

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“Healthcare human resources are the No. 1 constraint on our ability to increase scheduled services and volumes.”

The LHSC’s COVID-19 patient count has been relatively stable around 40 in the past week. On Thursday, the hospital reported that 41 COVID-19 patients were in the hospital, with five or fewer in intensive care. Of the 41, 15 are in the hospital to be treated for COVID-19.

The number of victims in LHSC intensive care units during the fourth and fifth waves promoted by Omicron has been much lower than in other waves, including the third wave in April and May 2021, when the hospital had up to 44 COVID patients -19 in critical care.

“We see more young people, in their 40s and 50s, we’ve had people in their teens. It’s a true mixed bag and reflects both where transmission is highest and who is least vaccinated,” said Wael Haddara, chief of critical care medicine at LHSC.

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While acknowledging that the public is tired of the pandemic and eager to move on, the LHSC wants people to understand that widespread community transmission of COVID-19 has impacts on the hospital system that go beyond COVID hospitalization numbers. Dukelow said.

Now that other pandemic restrictions have been lifted, such as physical distancing and capacity limits, Haddara said masks are even more important.

“There are some simple things we can do. The masking does not affect the economy, we are not closing anything, but it helps protect others, ”he said.

“Although there is no mandate, hopefully people feel a social imperative to help others.”

Dukelow is grateful for the LHSC staff and physicians who are exhausted after two years of ups and downs from the pandemic, but are still helping their patients.

“Thank a healthcare worker over Easter weekend. We were all tired after a wave and being in the middle of wave six is ​​another challenge we face,” she said.

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