Ontario hospitals begin to brace for fourth wave of COVID-19
As the Brampton Civic Hospital celebrated zero COVID-19 patients in critical care Wednesday, for the first time since the start of the pandemic, the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) warned that an impending surge in virus case counts could represent a threat to the province.
“This pandemic is ending but a fourth wave could still inflict a deadly toll on the unvaccinated,” OHA president Anthony Dale said in a statement.
The association called on Ontarians who had not yet received two doses to get fully immunized before an anticipated autumn increase in case counts—in what is now being called the pandemic of the unvaccinated.
“I think it’s going to be primarily be younger unvaccinated children [affected], and of course the adults who have chosen not to get the vaccine,” York Region emergency physician Dr. Steve Flindall said of a fourth wave.
“I’m really hoping the vaccinated individuals in the population will act as a firebreak between transmissions.”
Many experts remain optimistic that Ontario’s health-care systems will not succumb to the same strain as during the third wave of the virus, when non-urgent surgeries had to be postponed and patients were transferred between hospitals to access critical care.
“The risk of being on the brink of collapse of the hospital and health-care system, like we were in April—I don’t think that we should see that, or expect that, in the coming months because of the vaccine rate that we have here in Ontario,” said Dr. Dale Kalina, medical director of infection and control at Joseph Brant Hospital.
Kalina pointed to the recent spikes in COVID-19 cases in the U.K. and the U.S.; in the U.K., where the vaccination rate is comparable to Ontario’s, the increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations was minimal. But in Florida, where only 59 per cent of adults are fully vaccinated, hospitalizations increased Tuesday to a level that surpassed the record set before vaccines were even available.
“We’re running out of materials, our staff is exhausted, we’re really really straining,” Florida infectious disease specialist Dr. Aileen Marty told CTV News Wednesday.
“It’s particularly distressing that so many of our patients are young, otherwise healthy individuals that can’t breathe.”
“Given that thousands of Ontario children under the age of 12 will be returning to indoor in-person learning in just a few weeks, it's vital that all eligible residents receive both shots to keep transmission levels low, protect vulnerable populations and ensure that access to non-COVID related hospital services is not disrupted a further time,” said Dale.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
DEVELOPING Live updates from the Trump hush money trial: Stormy Daniels, bookkeeper testify
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
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.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Miss Teen USA steps down just days after Miss USA's resignation
Miss Teen USA resigned Wednesday, sending further shock waves through the pageant community just days after Miss USA said she would relinquish her crown.
B.C. wildfires likely to spread with weekend temperatures expected to soar, province says
Wildfire and emergency management officials in British Columbia are urging residents to be prepared for increased fire activity as temperatures are expected to soar above 30 C in parts of the province this weekend.
Listowel, Ont. football player drafted, despite only three years of experience
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.