As provinces face a sixth wave of the pandemic, a growing number of doctors, nurses and other hospital staff are calling for COVID-19 patients, raising concerns about the availability and quality of patient care. Dr Gerald Evans, an infectious disease specialist at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont. that the province is equipped to handle the big wave.
Read more: Canada is in the 6th wave of COVID-19, says Dr. Theresa Tam
“The problem we have is that even if the number of people in the hospital remains lower than we saw during the fifth wave or maybe reaches the fifth wave, we have far fewer people available to care for these people in the hospital.” said Global News. The story goes on under the ad “So this is a critical healthcare measure that at the moment we do not think is being considered really carefully.” Absences from hospital at Kingston Health Sciences Center, Ont. Photo: KHSC The University Health Network (UHN) includes Princess Margaret, Toronto General and Toronto Western Hospitals and five Toronto Rehab locations. The network says the staffing challenge “is not related to the patients admitted, but to the fact that we see more staff reporting either being positive for the virus or having a positive household member”. In an email to Global News last week, UHN said it saw a seven-day moving average indicating that nearly 40 percent of health-reporting staff were positive for COVID-19. 2:18 Ontario top doctor confirms sixth wave is on us Ontario top doctor confirms sixth wave is on us With a large number of workers out of work either because of COVID-19 or because they came in contact with someone with the virus, the London Center for Health Sciences (LHSC) says a reduction in services could happen later this week. The story goes on under the ad As of Monday, the LHSC reported that 288 staff and doctors were ill with COVID-19 and most were absent from work because they were in close contact with someone with the virus.
Read more: COVID-19 hospitalization, cases continue to rise in most provinces in the middle of the 6th wave
It is a similar scenario in Quebec, which has also seen an increase in hospitalizations in recent weeks. Dr Donald Vin, an infectious disease specialist and medical microbiologist at McGill University Health Center, said an estimated 13,000 healthcare workers were absent from work across the county. He said the shortcomings would have a “major impact” on how care is at stake. “If healthcare workers are forced to return too early while they are ill or, most importantly, while they are contagious, you may έχετε have transmission and perpetuation of healthcare transmission,” he told Global News. Trending Stories
John Lennon’s son Julian sings “Imagine” for the first time in support of Ukraine Flair Airlines could be stuck in Canada due to concerns about overseas control
The story goes on under the ad In New Brunswick, surgeries are being postponed and services are limited due to a hospital staff crisis there – the worst the county has faced during COVID-19, say doctors and nurses. On Monday, Dr. Mark MacMillan, president of the New Brunswick Medical Society, said the number of non-viral health care workers was the highest ever since the pandemic began.
Read more: Doctor closes specialty clinic in year 3 of pandemic to focus on intensive care: “I had to make a choice”
Meanwhile, an emergency physician at Medicine Hat in Alta said staff levels were at “historically low” levels, making it difficult for hospitals to fill units. “We are very, very short-sighted and lack staff,” said Dr. Paul Parks, President of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Alberta Medical Association (AMA). “A lot of wards, for example, will have two, three nurses as a starting point and then you will only have one – even if you can not come for five or seven days – it has a huge impact,” he told Global News. 1: 48Ν.Β. The medical community says the condition of COVID-19 in hospitals is a “crisis” Note The medical community says the condition of COVID-19 in hospitals is a “crisis” The burnout rate in the healthcare profession has almost doubled in Canada compared to pre-pandemic levels. The story goes on under the ad A survey of 4,000 doctors and medical students, also known as locals, conducted by the Canadian Medical Association in November 2021 found that 53 percent had experienced “high levels” of burnout, up from just 30 percent four years ago. Nearly half – or 46 percent – of doctors are considering reducing their work in clinics over the next two years, according to a survey published last month. Preliminary data also showed that 59 percent of doctors said their mental health had deteriorated since the onset of the pandemic. 2: 04COVID-19: Top Canadian doctor recommends wearing still masks as BA.2 6th wave fuel variant COVID-19: Canada top doctor recommends still wearing masks like BA.2 6th wave fuel variant At the Kingston Health Sciences Center, Evans said the latest wave would accelerate burnout and force more health workers to leave the profession to pursue other careers or retire early. “We are tired. “We have been doing this for two years,” he said. “It will lead to more challenges with exhaustion and people are just going to retire. “They are just going to leave.” The story goes on under the ad
Read more: Exhaustion rate of doctors in Canada has doubled since before the pandemic: research
Staff shortages mean that those at work have to work double. “Every shift you work now you have a shortage of staff, so you are overworked, you have more patients than you would normally do and you go on for two and a half years. “It’s a moral distress,” said Parks at Medicine Hat Regional Hospital. 2:13 Exhaustion rate for doctors doubles before pandemic: research Exhaustion rate for doctors doubles before pandemic: research – March 23, 2022 MUHC’s Vinh said the issue of burnout among healthcare workers is nothing new, but has been further highlighted by COVID-19. He said that if capacity and healthcare staff are pushed beyond the limit, there is not only a short-term risk of burnout, but the inability to hire and retain staff could be a challenge in the long run. The story goes on under the ad “So it’s very important to make sure we mitigate transmission to the community,” he added, urging coverage and vaccination indoors. – with files from Global News’ Hannah Jackson, Adam Toy and Nathalie Sturgeon © 2022 Global News, part of Corus Entertainment Inc.
