Head of SickKids says he supports reinstating mask mandate to ease 'unprecedented' hospital pressures

The head of Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children says he is in favour of bringing back mandatory masking to alleviate pressure on pediatric hospitals across the province.

Dr. Ronald Cohn, the president and chief executive officer of SickKids Hospital, made the remark in an interview with CP24 on Saturday after two government sources told the Canadian Press that Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore will ask the public to mask up beginning on Monday.

While sources said it will just be a general recommendation to wear masks, especially in crowded places, Cohn believes reinstating the mask mandate will help ease the "unprecedented" burden children's hospitals are seeing at the moment.

"We are really seeing these pressures all across the province and we would certainly support a universal masking mandate," Cohn said in an interview with CP24.

"I think we can all do the right thing here. Get vaccinated, wear a mask, and please stay home (if you are sick)."

On Friday, SickKids announced that it will be ramping down surgeries starting on Monday to preserve critical care capacity. The move, which will see the hospital prioritize "urgent, emergency and the most time-sensitive" surgeries, was due to its ICU operating at least 127 per cent above capacity in recent days.

Cohn called the move "heartbreaking" and admitted that it would further worsen the surgical backlog caused by the pandemic. However, he said it would ensure that children receive the care they need.

"We are really seeing a multiple number of different viruses that affect the respiratory system infecting children right now. And we are just at the beginning of the RSV and influenza season, and that leads to these unprecedented volumes of children coming to our emergency room, many of those requiring admissions to our pediatric wards and to our ICU," Cohn said.

"In order to create capacity for many of these children who are acutely ill, needing care, we had to make this difficult decision."

Cohn noted that it is working "like never before" with other children's hospitals and community partners to create more capacity so sick children can have a place to get treated.

He also said that he and other hospital officials have ongoing discussions on the problems they are facing.

"There are a lot of considerations going on right now with Dr. Moore, and many others so we need to wait for Monday," Cohn said.

'NOW IS THE MOMENT TO ACT'

There has been a growing call from the medical community to require mask-wearing again due to what is happening in pediatric hospitals.

At one point this week, there were 122 children in pediatric ICUs and only 112 intensive care pediatric beds.

Emergency physician Dr. Raghu Venugopal is urging the provincial government to step up and make unpopular decisions, which include reintroducing mask mandates as a way to help relieve the strain in pediatric hospitals.

"I do not know what more hospitals can do. I do not know what more nurses and doctors can do on the front line," he said in an interview with CP24.

"I don't like mask mandates more than you do or more than anyone does. But we have to start immediately with mask mandates in settings such as schools because the healthcare system has no other options."

He said the situation has become so dire that pediatric wards are being turned into pediatric ICUs to create capacity.

When asked what Ontarians can do to help, Venugopal said they should get vaccinated, wear masks indoors and stay at home if they are sick.

"Now is the moment to act," he said. "And we have to act in a way that protects the hospital from further degrading."

- With files from The Canadian Press