Wait for surgery still a problem

The ups and downs of pandemic waves continue to affect wait times for elective surgeries in Canada, adding to concerns about mounting backlogs as provinces ease restrictions, new data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information shows. The new report shows hospitals and health systems have gotten better at weathering spikes of COVID-19 infection since the virus first struck the country in early 2020. But the number of surgeries performed still fluctuates with each pandemic wave, compounding backlogs every time. About 600,000 fewer surgeries were performed across Canada since the beginning of the pandemic, the institute says. About one-quarter of those were joint replacements and cataract surgeries.