The spread of the omicron variant is "unlike anything we have encountered in the pandemic" as the number of patients admitted with COVID-19 increased from 20 to more than 60 in a single week, according to Southlake Regional Health Centre president and CEO Arden Krystal today.
As well, "significant numbers of staff" have tested positive and require time off to isolate, Krystal said in an email.
As of today, Jan. 6, there are COVID-19 outbreaks on two units at the Newmarket hospital, with a total of seven patients and no staff testing positive for COVID-19, according to the York Region Public Health dashboard.
Southlake is reporting 62 patients admitted with COVID-19 today, of which six are in ICU.
The hospital currently has a total of 46 critical care beds. Occupancy of those beds is at 78 per cent.
"The vast majority of patients admitted with COVID-19 during the omicron wave are on our non-critical care units now," said Danae Theakston, corporate communications for Southake, in an email.
To reduce the spread of the highly transmissible omicron variant and preserve hospital capacity, Southlake has made several policy changes, according to Krystal.
In compliance with the province's directive, as of Jan. 5, Southlake has paused all non-emergent and non-urgent surgeries and procedures to increase bed capacity.
Staff from the surgical program have been reassigned to patients in other areas of the hospital, she said.
"Staffing has become a significant challenge and we are doing everything we can to mitigate this. Health-care workers are now more impacted by the increased spread of COVID-19 in the community than ever before. This, combined with the increased number of patients in the hospital with COVID-19, continues to put pressure on our teams," said Krystal.
Individuals with upcoming surgical procedures will be informed of any changes by their physician's office.
Southlake has also reinstated a strict visitor policy, and is continuing to offer virtual patient visits and telephones in patient rooms without charge.
"We understand how important visitors are to patients and this decision was not made lightly," she said.
The hospital's emergency department doesn't perform COVID-19 testing. Only individuals who meet the provincial criteria for PCR testing can book an appointment at Southlake’s Assessment Centre on Prospect Street.
To determine eligibility, visit the Ontario website. To book an appointment for a PCR test, visit the Southlake COVID-19 Assessment Centre website.
As of Jan. 6, Ontario has reported 2,279 people hospitalized with COVID-19 with 319 people in the ICU. At least 13,339 new cases and 20 deaths — the highest single-day death toll since late May — were also reported.
