Ontario's chief medical officer of health, Dr. David Williams, issued a directive Tuesday calling for a stop to all non-emergent and non-urgent surgeries at all hospitals, except at pediatric specialty hospitals.
"Emergent and urgent surgeries will not be impacted in an effort to reduce and prevent patient morbidity and mortality," reads the directive.
"Throughout the third wave of the pandemic, we have continued to perform the most urgent surgeries," Southlake Regional Health Centre spokesperson Kathryn Perrier said in an email. "We will follow the Ministry of Health directives for reducing or cancelling surgeries and are concerned about the high number of COVID-19 cases and how that impacts scheduled surgeries."
Prior to the directive, some elective surgeries already had to be postponed at the Newmarket hospital.
"We understand that it is difficult for those patients who are waiting for surgery. Right now, we are focused on making things as safe as possible for our patients, staff and physicians," Perrier said.
"Some staff will be redeployed to areas where we need the support, beds and space to safely care for patients with COVID-19."
Resuming surgical services to full capacity to help address the backlog depends on the hospital’s capacity as it continues to care for high numbers of patients with COVID-19, she added.
Today, April 22, Southlake is reported critical care capacity of 78 per cent, with 28 of 36 ICU beds occupied. Fourteen of the critical care patients have COVID-19. In addition, 38 patients with COVID-19 are receiving care in other units.
Northern Ontario hospitals had been exempt from an April 10 order that required southern Ontario hospitals to ramp down elective surgeries and non-urgent procedures to ensure they have the capacity to treat COVID-19 patients.
Health Minister Christine Elliott said the orders could increase ICU capacity by up to 1,000 patient beds.
Northern Ontario hospitals are admitting patients from the Greater Toronto Area as the province braces for a surge of COVID -19 patients needing care.
The decision comes as Ontario reports 3,682 new COVID-19 cases today, with more than 800 patients in intensive care units.
