The rapid increase of COVID-19 patients and sick calls at local hospitals has management trying to stay ahead of critical capacity issues driven by the latest Omicron wave.
Since Friday, Waterloo Wellington hospitals have seen COVID-19 patients surge from 95 to 126.
“It’s quite unnerving to see rapid increases in hospitals,” said Lee Fairclough, the lead for Waterloo Wellington Hospitals, which represents seven organizations. “We’re looking at every option to prepare for more.”
Faircough said options include using recovery rooms within hospitals as bed spaces.
But staffing those bed spaces is problematic.
A total of 542 hospital staff are currently off due to testing positive or having to isolate after an exposure to COVID-19, up from 500 last Friday.
“The biggest difference for this wave as well is our own staff being impacted by COVID given the high prevalence of spread in the community,” said Fairclough.
On Monday, the William Ostler Health system in the GTA announced its temporarily closing Peel Memorial Centre’s urgent care centre due to ‘extreme’ capacity and staffing pressures. A move, that could happen in Waterloo Wellington.
“We are not at that stage here, other than in some of the areas we are trying to redeploying staff from,” said Fairclough. “But again when we would look at other regions, all those things are a potential for us as well.”
HOSPITALIZATIONS AND STAFFING SHORTAGE STATS
Every Tuesday and Friday, Waterloo Wellington Hospitals will provide an update.
The hospitals include St. Mary’s General Hospital, Grand River Hospital, Guelph General Hospital, Wellington Health Care Alliance, Groves Memorial Community Hospital, and North Wellington Health Care.
“The trend in the ICU is worrying,” reflected Fairclough. “Although it seems smaller, the trend is the rapid increase across the province more than we anticipated.”
NEW CLINCAL CENTRES TO BE ANNOUNCED
During her virtual interview with CTV Kitchener, Fairclough said new clinical centres to assess patients with moderate COVID-19 symptoms will be announced in the coming days to help with the hospital pressures.
Some of the details will include definitions on mild, moderate and severe symptoms.
Fairlcough noted the clinical centres “are designed to avoid people needing to come to the emergency room if they don’t need emergency level care.”
