TORONTO – Ontario’s healthcare system is preparing for the drastic measures needed to deal with a growing wave of COVID-19 that is infecting people at an unprecedented rate.
All non-urgent surgeries in the province will be halted starting Wednesday to free up space and staff, as the Omicron variant is expected to make more people sick.
The medical vice president of the agency that oversees the province’s hospital system says the pressure comes from the large number of hospitalized patients and staff absences.
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Ontario Hospitals Face Staffing Challenges as COVID Cases Continue to Rise
Ontario Health’s Chris Simpson says staff should be reassigned to wards at hospitals facing shortages or to help admit people sick with COVID-19.
Simpson says fewer people experience COVID pneumonia during the Omicron wave, but many are being hospitalized for short stays or with chronic illnesses made worse by a COVID-19 infection.
A network of Toronto-area hospitals declared a Code Orange this week due to a lack of resources, requiring patient transfers and other measures, and Simpson says it’s a situation likely to be seen elsewhere.
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