The situation is worsening in some Ontario hospitals, two weeks after the lifting of the mandatory mask rule in most public places. Since March 21, the number of Ontarians hospitalized with COVID-19 has nearly doubled.
At North York General Hospital, northeast of Toronto, waiting rooms are full, among other things because of COVID, says emergency physician Anne Aspler. Too many beds are occupied and the hospital center is short of nurses, explains the DD Aspler. “Employee morale is down and I see no possible short-term solution,” the doctor wrote. Twenty-four patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 are currently in hospital.
On Monday, Premier Doug Ford said a “small spike” in infection was hitting the province: 857 patients with COVID-19 were in hospitals across the province. Their number rose to 1091 in just 24 hours.
This is almost double the number recorded on March 21, the day his government ended the mandatory wearing of masks.
Although many Torontonians continued to wear it, the decision undoubtedly contributed to the rise in hospitalizations due to COVID-19, says the Dr.r Fahad Razak, internist and epidemiologist at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. The doctor also welcomes the decision of Quebec Public Health to extend the obligation to wear the mask in public until the end of April. “They are cautious,” he said.
Ten patients have COVID-19 at St. Michael’s Hospital right now. “We are seeing a rapid increase in the number of cases, and if it continues at this rate, we are going to have real problems”, underlines the Dr Razak. The health system is “incredibly resilient”, but also has its limits, believes the Toronto doctor. “It was already overwhelmed before the pandemic”, he continues, “and there, in addition, our employees fall ill”.
Like in January
As during the wave caused by the Omicron variant, last December and January, Ontario hospitals must once again deal with reduced staff. “It is not as much as during the wave of the BA.1 variant, but it is starting to increase”, relates the Dr Razak.
The phenomenon is felt in several hospitals in the province, was able to observe The duty.
At the University of Toronto Health Network, which includes five establishments, 384 of the approximately 17,500 employees are missing, either because they are infected or because there is a positive case at home. “We are seeing more infections and exposure,” network spokeswoman Gillian Howard said. Some 436 employees are absent at the Hamilton Health Sciences health network. At Guelph General Hospital, west of Toronto, 53 staff are absent due to COVID-19.
At the Windsor Regional Hospital, 220 staff members are absent due to illness, or about 5% of the workforce. “Since the beginning of March, the number of absentees has doubled”, specifies the director of communications Steve Erwin. Absenteeism is also rising at Kingston Health Sciences Centre: 140 employees are home due to COVID-19, about 50 more than two weeks ago.
Towards a return of the mask?
Some experts are now calling on the Ontario government to reverse its decision and re-impose the wearing of masks in public places.
This is the case among others of Dr Andrew Morris, infectious disease specialist and member of the Ontario Science Advisory Table, who gave his opinion on social networks Tuesday. The measure is necessary due to the number of hospitalized patients, the infectiousness of the BA.2 variant and the insufficient number of third doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered in Ontario, he said.
To avoid putting hospitals under pressure again, the Dr Razak also thinks that the province must recreate the “magic” that ensured that the population received its first two doses of the vaccine in large numbers. “We had remarkable adherence to vaccination for the first and second doses, but it’s not even close for the third,” he analyzes.
About 60% of Ontarians over the age of 18 have gotten their third dose; this rate is almost identical to that of Quebec.
This story is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.