Cases of COVID-19 are rising again in Ontario, including at Niagara Health, driven by the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron.
We anticipated this increase in cases in the hospital as public health measures lifted and people started spending more time together.
We are well prepared to manage hospital activity and want to recognize the extraordinary commitment of our staff and physicians to provide patients and families with safe, quality care.
We’ve learned a lot about COVID-19 and how to effectively manage cases in the hospital. There are new COVID-19 treatments available for outpatients that are highly effective at preventing hospitalizations. We’ll continue to take a cautious and measured approach as we resume services that were paused. There are no changes to this planning or to our infection prevention and control (IPAC) measures. We’ll continue to closely monitor activity and adjust our operations as needed.
As of today, we are caring for 39 patients who tested positive for COVID-19. Of the 39 patients, 32 are being treated primarily for COVID-19, and seven are being treated primarily for other conditions. Our Emergency Department visits are returning to pre-pandemic volumes, and our surgical volumes are close to 90% capacity. Critical care admissions remain stable however acute care admissions are high across our sites.
We encourage everyone to get a third dose at a public health clinic if you haven’t already done so. Getting vaccinated remains our best defence against COVID-19.
