Ontario will deploy internationally educated nurses to hospitals dealing with staffing shortages
Ontario will deploy internationally educated nurses to hospitals and long-term care homes facing staffing shortages due to COVID-19.
Health Minister Christine Elliott made the announcement on Tuesday while speaking about health-care capacity, saying international nurses who have applied to practice in Ontario "will have the opportunity to meet their applications requirements by working in health-care settings under the supervision of a regulated health-care provider."
Elliott said more than 1,200 applicants have already expressed interest and will be matched with hospitals and long-term care homes later this week.
She said Ontario currently has 600 intensive care beds still available, with an additional 500 beds available if required.
According to the government, the median stay in intensive care for a COVID-19 patient is currently seven days, compared to 20 days during the peak of the Delta wave.
The highly infectious Omicron strain has been driving up staff shortages across essential sectors including hospitals even as admissions have steadily risen.
On Monday, William Osler Health System announced it would close the urgent care centre at a Brampton facility until Feb. 1 due to increasing pressures in emergency departments, "further compounded by our extreme capacity and staffing pressures."
They said the closure would "help to direct the highly skilled staff and physicians to where demand is the greatest."
Hospitals and paramedic services elsewhere have also reported strains on service due to the Omicron wave.
Surgeries deemed non-urgent have also been paused for at least three weeks to free up hospital resources -- affecting between 8,000 and 10,000 scheduled procedures weekly.
With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.