Second Wave of Pandemic Will Heavily Test Ontario Hospitals

Updated COVID-19 Modelling Demonstrates Need for Provincial Leadership  

TORONTO, Nov. 12, 2020 /CNW/ - "The Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) is extremely concerned about the provincial modelling data released today, which projects that Ontario could reach as many as 6,000-7,000 daily cases by the end of December. Ontario hospitals are on the front line of the battle against COVID and their resilience is about to be heavily tested. Bold and decisive leadership is needed immediately from the Government of Ontario to support local public health units and Ontario's hospitals in the difficult time that lies ahead.

Ontario hospitals face significant capacity challenges. The standby capacity created in hospitals at the onset of the pandemic is gone, and many of Ontario's large community hospitals and health science centres are full. Both the best and worst-case scenarios presented today reveal that Ontario hospitals will face punishingly high COVID-19 infection rates, and some are certain to experience overwhelming conditions unless new public health measures are put in place by the Government of Ontario, immediately.

The OHA is urging the province to reconsider its COVID-19 Response Framework and also calls on local public health units to follow the bold leadership that the Region of Peel and City of Toronto have demonstrated as they acted to protect the health and safety of their residents and their local health systems. The data presented today, as well as the experience in other jurisdictions, underscores the need for the province and local public health units to move quickly and aggressively in order to limit the human and economic costs that the second wave of this pandemic is certain to inflict on the Province of Ontario."

   -    Anthony Dale, President and CEO, Ontario Hospital Association

SOURCE Ontario Hospital Association

Aslan Hart, Public Affairs, 416 205 1376, [email protected]