Despite some concerns expressed about a surge in COVID-19 patients, Health Sciences North -- the largest hospital in Northern Ontario -- is not expecting any influx of patients from other communities.
In some parts of Southern Ontario such as Windsor and Toronto, patients have been moved to other care facilities to make room for an expected surge of intensive care patients who might have COVID-19. As yet, this has not involved HSN said hospital communications specialist Jason Turnbull.
"That being said, Ontario Health has asked hospitals to be ready to increase their ICU bed capacity by 15 per cent within 48 hours, and to earmark a third of available ICU bed capacity for critical care patient transfers from other communities," said Turnbull.
"This means HSN is now ready to increase the total number of critical care beds at the hospital from 41 to 47, which is within the range of critical care surge plans which were developed as part of HSN’s pandemic planning," he added.
As of noon on Friday, the HSN COVID update page revealed there were 11 patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. None are in the ICU. In a release today calling for government oversight of the Amberwood Suites in Sudbury, the NDP said all 11 of those patients are residents of the Regent Street retirement home.There is one patient in the ICU currently awaiting test results.
