Hospitals in Ontario are cancelling elective surgeries
Such measures are being introduced because of the new rise in the incidence of COVID-19.
Starting April 12, most hospitals in Ontario will postpone all elective surgeries. Only emergency procedures on which patients' lives depend will be performed. This is the second such measure for Ontario hospitals since the first wave of the pandemic in March 2020.
As Matthew Anderson, head of the Ontario Health Agency, explained, this is due to an increase in the incidence of COVID-19 across the province.
"We're doing this to make sure there are enough beds and people to help," Anderson said.
The agency also warned hospitals that available staff could be transferred to medical facilities with higher workloads.
The order from the Agency came just after reports of a record number of patients in critical condition due to COVID-19 in intensive care units (ICUs). As of Wednesday evening, there were 532 patients in Ontario hospitals' PITs. Patients without COVID-19 typically occupy between 1,200 and 1,400 of those beds. In total, there are about 2,000 ICU beds.
According to forecast models, there will be about 600 patients in PITs by mid-April and if the current rate of morbidity continues, that number will increase to 800 by the end of the month.
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