Canada has seen an increase in the hospitalizations because of COVID-19.

What does this mean for the people and the country's health care system?

From the beginning of this year until August, all COVID-19 incidence rates in Canada were gradually declining. However, not too long ago the first signs began to appear indicating that a new wave of coronavirus infection is just around the corner. And with hospitalizations on the rise, experts say the new wave of COVID may be different from previous waves.

The Public Health Agency of Canada reported that on August 15, there was an 11% increase in the number of hospitalizations related to COVID-19 compared to the previous week. Specialists believe that the increase in the number of illnesses is seasonal in nature. However, COVID differs from, for example, flu in that it occurs all year round, rather than waning with the change of season.

However, the rise in hospitalizations is not a consequence of this year's summer months. According to data released by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), coronavirus-related hospitalizations have been on the rise since last spring.

CIHI data show that from April 2022 to March 2023, hospitalizations for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in Canada increased by nearly 20% compared to the same period the previous year.

One of the main differences in this wave of hospitalizations is that the patients are older. The average patient age was 75 years old, while in the previous year, according to CIHI, the average patient age was 63 years old.

Another significant difference is the average length of stay of patients in hospitals, which increased from 13 to 20 days. Mortality rates have decreased by 1%. Between April 2022 and March 2023, 10% of patients admitted to hospitals due to COVID died. In the previous reporting period, the mortality rate was 11%.

Although hospitalizations are increasing, the number of emergency room visits by COVID patients has decreased, according to CIHI. While there were 262,000 such visits in 2021-22, there will be 222,000 in 2022-23.

How will the situation affect the healthcare system? Despite the increase in hospitalizations, experts believe that the coming COVID wave will not overwhelm the healthcare system. However, this does not mean that there are no problems with the healthcare system.

"Let's not pretend for a second that our health-care system is doing well. It absolutely isn't. It needs a lot of tender loving care and support," infectious disease expert Dr. Isaac Bogoch told CTV.