hospitals across the province are in “crisis mode” as they fight back against covid-19, ontario nurses’ association (ona) president vicki mckenna says.
“our acute care hospitals certainly are getting the brunt, the surge, and so they are transferring patients all over this province,” mckenna said thursday. “it’s all hands on deck everywhere and nurses are doing everything they can to support ontarians and to care for them as best they can … this is not business as usual.”
nurses are physically and mentally exhausted, some working in new areas and under different care models, she said.
“they’re stepping up and they’re doing the very best but it’s tragic right now, it’s very hard for them — i worry how we’ll be on the other side of this,” she said.
ontario hospitals are now treating a record 806 covid-19 patients in intensive care.
ornge air and land ambulance moved 59 patients between hospitals wednesday to create more icu capacity in the gta, its highest number of transfers this month.
there were 588 people on ventilators due to covid-19.
anthony dale, president and ceo of the ontario hospital association (oha), said more than 300 hospital leaders from across the province joined an ontario health briefing thursday to discuss “ongoing efforts to address deepening pressures from (the) third pandemic wave.”