‘Small backlog’ from when procedures halted at beginning of pandemic, third wave
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Sault Area Hospital says it’s “difficult” to determine the impact the pause of non-urgent surgeries will have on wait times at Sault Ste. Marie’s principal health-care facility.
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Ontario announced a series of new measures Monday, including the halt of such surgeries, in an effort to slow the fifth COVID-19 wave driven by the highly contagious omicron variant.
“The impact is dependent on the length of time (the directive) is reinstated, measures provided post-reinstatement to address wait times, and the number of surgeries and procedures postponed,” SAH manager of communications Brandy Sharp Young told The Sault Star Tuesday.
The latest restrictions also include a return to online schooling for at least two weeks, and widespread business closures.
SAH says it will postpone non-emergent and non-urgent surgeries and procedures that can be “safely” delayed, adding the province has indicated that the reinstatement of these latest directives is time-limited.
“We are reviewing currently scheduled surgeries and procedures on an individual basis to ensure minimal impact to patient care,” Sharp Young said.
Elective surgeries were cancelled at the beginning of the pandemic and during the third wave, which left health-care officials in some parts of the province scrambling to get procedures back on track.
The Ontario Medical Association said the pandemic created a staggering backlog of almost 20 million health-care services, including doctors’ visits, diagnostic tests, treatments and surgeries.
Closer to home, SAH says that when when Directive 2 was implemented previously, the hospital was able to maintain a 75-per-cent surgical volume.
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“We do have a small backlog,” Sharp Young said. “We will work at rebooking all cancelled cases as timely as possible when the province provides the green light to restart procedures and surgeries.”
When non-urgent surgeries are allowed to continue, SAH physicians will determine when an individual’s non-urgent and non-emergent surgery or procedure can be rescheduled based on their clinical assessment of the individual, Sharp Young said.
Algoma Public Health reported 64 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in the region Tuesday, with 611 active, a 40-case increase from Monday.
The province is reporting 11,352 new cases Tuesday, although it notes the numbers underestimate the true case count due to limits Ontario has placed on testing.
The province recorded 10 new deaths from the virus and 1,290 people in hospital with COVID-19, and 266 in intensive care.
Intensive care admissions have been rising, with 248 people in ICU due to COVID-19 a day earlier.
Overall, Ontario’s health system is preparing for widespread measures, including patient and staff transfers, to deal with a growing wave of COVID-19 that’s infecting people at an unprecedented rate.
“I don’t think any of us want to candy-coat any of this. This is not a good situation,” said Chris Simpson of Ontario Health, the agency overseeing the health system.
“It’s a different disease. It’s putting pressures in different places, and the magnitude of it is just eclipsing everything else. So that’s the challenge.”
The CEO of the Registered Nurses’ Association said current government plans, such as transferring nurses between departments and adding more beds, won’t be enough to adequately address the staffing challenge during omicron.
“A bed without a nurse is just a bed,” Doris Grinspun said.
She said absenteeism is already a “huge” issue, with nurses off work dealing with COVID-19 infections in their families or leaving work due to burnout and stress.
– with files from The Canadian Press
jougler@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @JeffreyOugler
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'Difficult' to peg impact of pause to non-urgent surgeries: Sault Area Hospital - Sault Star
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