Double whammy for Sudbury hospital as number of COVID-19 patients surge
The Omicron surge has hit Health Sciences North hard, with the Sudbury hospital having to deal with two big challenges: more staff off work with COVID-19 than ever, and a surge of patients in hospital with the disease.
CEO Dominic Giroux said Friday there are currently 61 patients at HSN with the virus, more than twice the number of patients than at any time in 2020 or 2021.
“We also have 21 past positive COVID-19 patients," Giroux said.
"So essentially what this means is that one patient out of six at HSN currently has COVID or had COVID and requires acute care."
He said since Jan. 1, the hospital has admitted and provided care to 129 patients for COVID-19. And currently, 190 staff are off work with the disease.
“That represents about four per cent of our teams," he said. "Other hospitals in the province have reported percentages of 8, 10, and 12 per cent.”
But they were prepared for the issues and surge plans are now in effect.
“We’ve had to redeploy about 130 staff from other areas of the hospital to continue to take care of the sickest patients,” Giroux said.
Giroux said patient clinics and diagnostic testing are most significantly affected by the redeployment. It is mostly nurses and other health professionals that have been assigned to other areas.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.