150 Ontario COVID cases in ICU units; surgery list may be cut

Ontario now has 150 COVID-19 patients in its intensive-care units, crossing a key threshold that government projections have indicated could lead to cancelled surgeries, as Premier Doug Ford promised action to protect hospital capacity.

The stark new data was announced Thursday just hours before Ontario's Progressive Conservative cabinet was preparing to debate new public health measures — which could include regional lockdowns — to fight surging virus spread.

Ford used his daily pandemic briefing to warn of the danger the province now faces and pledged to take action Friday with the new restrictions for COVID-19 hot spots Toronto, Peel and York Region.

“As it's looking, these measures, they will have to be tough in the hardest hit areas,” he said. “We're seeing concerning trends, our hospital ICU beds are in jeopardy and our long-term care homes are at risk. We have some difficult, but necessary decisions to make.”

The head of the Ontario Hospital Association warned Thursday that the once-feared projection of 150 COVID-19 patients in intensive care units was now a reality and that facilities all regions of the province were reporting a rise in admissions.

“This means that some Ontario hospitals face heightened pressures in maintaining access to other vital services and procedures,” CEO Anthony Dale said in a statement. “Please know that given the gravity of the situation, hospitals will continue to (do) everything possible to maintain access to services for patients who need care.”

Ontario's co-ordinator of the provincial outbreak response said the number of people in ICUS has grown by 49 per cent over the last week, but stressed that the danger to individuals and impact on families should not be lost when discussing the numbers.

“These people are extremely unwell,” Dr. Dirk Huyer said. “And so it's really important to remember when we talk about numbers these are individuals.”

Dr. Michael Warner, the medical director of critical care at Michael Garron Hospital in Toronto, said the province's ICUS hit threshold five days earlier than the government projected earlier this month.

“This means we're going to have to limit access to non-covid-related care, cancel cancer surgeries, cancel hip replacements, knee replacements,” he said. “We don't want to do this. We can't do this, people will die if we do this.”