Eastern Ontario hospitals short-staffed because of COVID-19 spread

Hospitals throughout eastern Ontario say they are facing staffshortages as COVID restrictions lift and community transmission increases.

At the Kingston Health Sciences Centre,almost 200 of their 6,000 staff are currently off work sick or isolating, according to president and CEO David Pichora.

Pichora saidhe believes community transmission is to blame.

"If you look at what's happening in our community and with sewage wastewater testing,it's no surprise that we would have significant staff infection rates acquired in the community," he said.

Those local coronavirus wastewater levels have recently risen to record-highs in some sites.

While the hospital itself maintainsmasking requirements, Pichora saidit's hard to reduce staff exposures when those measures aren't required outside the hospital in public places.

WATCH | Community spread straining major Kingston hospital:

COVID spread leads to hospital staff shortage in Kingston

2 years ago

Duration 1:39

David Pichora from Kingston Health Sciences Centre says the spread of COVID has hurt hospital staffing, and he hopes people wear masks to limit the number of patients that will be hospitalized.

Pichora saidhe hopes no further restrictions will be lifted until health-care facilities are able to adequately respond to the sixth wave. All Ontario COVID-19 rules are scheduled to lift in two weeks.

"Certainly from the hospital's perspective, we're really not ready to move forward," he said.

• Hospitals across Ontario grapple with virus-related absences

Masking may no longer be required many places,but Pichora saidhe is asking community members to wear masks inpublic places to help protect health-care staff "who are stretched and tired."

"We'd certainly like people to wear masks out in the community when they're going into a store or a restaurant or whatever," saidPichora. "It may not be mandatory anymore, but that doesn't mean it isn't prudent."

Ottawa hospitals also struggling

Kingston isn't the only city feeling the impact of the new, highly transmissible variant.

Multiple Ottawa hospitals told CBC they werestruggling to stay fully staffed.

The Ottawa Hospital said in a statement it is experiencing "staffing level challenges" that can fluctuate when employees have to isolate or call in sick.

The Montfort Hospitalsaid in a statement92 staff members are currently isolating due to COVID approximately twice the amount seen earlier thisyear. According to the hospital,staffing shortages arerelated to theincrease in community transmission.

Ottawa's coronavirus wastewater average is about three times higher than the previous record in January 2022.

Pembroke having to move staff around

Pembroke Regional Hospital CEO Pierre Noel saidthe past few weeks have been some of the most challenging times of the entire pandemic.As restrictions ease, he saidthey are seeing more staff infections then ever before.

Noel says the hospital is now missing about 10 per centof itsemployees on any given day. Currently, there are almost 100 staff either isolating or infected.

"Ready or not, we're in the sixth wave," saidNoel."And we've been experiencing this for weeks now."

Noel saidthe staffing shortagesprevalent across the hospital system in Ontario are"reflective of the fact that the current variant is so transmissible and widespread."

Part of the reason health-care workers are so impacted by increases in transmission, Noel said, is because they're required to isolate longer than the general public.

While fully vaccinated people over 12 have to isolate for five days after the onset ofCOVID-19 symptoms, hospital employees and others working in highest-risk settings have to isolate for ten days following symptom onset.

"Highest risk settings" include hospitals, complex continuing care facilities, and congregate living settings.

Noel saidthe hospital was planning to ramp up surgical procedures again but with staffing issues, theycan't always allot the required staff for some less urgent areas.

"That means on occasion, moving staff from one area of the hospital to an area that's in critical need."