Hospital ERs in northeastern Ontario already reaching capacity
Hospitals in other regions are struggling to keep up with a spike in ER visits from people with several respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19 and a virus that typically affects children.
Provincial data shows numbers are about double the seasonal average and the Timmins area is one of the hardest hit.
Kim Bazinet, manger of the ER at the Timmins hospital, said visits for are up by more than 30 per cent compared to pre-COVID-19 volumes, with people reporting cold-like symptoms.
“Usually we don’t see this respiratory impact to the community, until about January,” Bazinet said.
“It’s happening a lot earlier this year. We weren’t created to see these amount of volumes. We have a limited amount of space. So, once again, wait times are up.”
The provincial data is showing the number of children going to the ER is double the seasonal average. The last time it was this high was in February 2020, just before the first pandemic lockdown.
Temiskaming is seeing the highest levels, with more than a quarter of respiratory patients age 17 and younger, followed by Porcupine, North Bay, Algoma and Sudbury.
Health officials said it’s a province-wide crisis.
“Emergency departments are overwhelmed, the waits are incredibly long and the numbers we’re seeing in the emergency departments are double than we really even have capacity for,” said Dr. Rose Zacharias of the Ontario Medical Association.
Combined with the shortage of children’s cold medicine, Zacharias said parents should do what they can to keep their children comfortable, give them fluids -- but mainly look for serious symptoms.
“Such as vomiting … a fever lasting longer than five days … fluid loss, so diarrhea and also kids that are not taking fluids in,” she said.
Hospital officials said the key right now is prevention.
“Flu shot is a great thing,” said Bazinet.
“Your COVID vaccines are important. We want to keep the community safe. Wash your hands and, also, if you have a fever, please stay home.”
Bazinet said starting Monday, the hospital’s COVID-19 assessment centre will be taking patients older than two years of age with cold-like symptoms, as long as they call ahead to book an appointment and don’t have another health care provider.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.