LHSC nears record for COVID-19 patients as staff infections decrease slightly
London’s top doctor is urging the public to be vigilant about health measures to help relieve the strain on hospitals as the number of COVID-19 patients at London Health Sciences Centre inches closer to a record high.
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London’s top doctor is urging the public to be vigilant about health measures to help relieve the strain on hospitals as the number of COVID-19 patients at London Health Sciences Centre inches closer to a record high.
LHSC reported Monday it has 89 COVID-19 patients in hospital, approaching its record of 99 from early May. Twenty-one COVID patients are in intensive care, an increase of seven since the last update on Friday.
“It is going to be challenging for us to stop the transmission of Omicron through our region,” said Alex Summers, acting medical officer of health at the Middlesex-London Health Unit.
“Our goal right now is to slow the spread of COVID-19 and Omicron as much as possible so that we minimize the stress on our health-care system.”
For the first time, LHSC reported separately the number of patients in hospital due to a COVID infection and the number whose admission was incidental to COVID. Just before the new year, the provincial government announced it would require hospitals to report this distinction.
Every patient admitted to LHSC is given a COVID test, said Carol Young-Ritchie, executive vice-president and interim chief clinical officer.
Sixty-eight of the 89 COVID patients at LHSC are being treated for COVID-19. The remaining 21 are in hospital for other reasons but have tested positive.
Summers said the “nuanced” data are welcome, but added the line isn’t always easy to draw.
“It’s very rarely a black and white distinction,” he said. “It can be hard to figure out exactly why someone is in the hospital . . . especially when you’re talking about chronic illnesses that are worsened by transient viral infections.”
Five or fewer of LHSC’s COVID patients have been transferred from hospitals outside of the London region, Young-Ritchie said Monday.
The number of COVID patients at LHSC has skyrocketed from 17 just two weeks ago.
While the hospital’s COVID patient count is approaching the third wave record, the number in its intensive care is approximately half of what it was in May 2021. At the time, LHSC had more than 40 COVID-19 patients in critical care.
The rapid increase in COVID patients comes as the hospital grapples with unprecedented staff absenteeism due to cases and high-risk exposures.
LHSC announced Monday 434 staff have tested positive, a slight decrease from 438 in the Friday update. The hospital has nearly 15,000 employees.
Other staff have been forced to isolate at home after a high-risk exposure, Young-Ritchie said, but that total was not available.
While staff absenteeism is a challenge, cancelling non-urgent surgeries, as directed by the province, has freed up some staff to respond to the fifth wave patient surge, Young-Ritchie said.
But LHSC is attempting to limit movement of staff between hospital sites and units, a lesson learned during the second wave when 11 units at University Hospital were hit by outbreaks, Young-Ritchie said.
There are two active outbreaks at LHSC, one each at University Hospital and Victoria Hospital, linked to at least 12 patient cases and 29 potential positives among staff.
St. Joseph’s Health Care London has 124 COVID-19 cases among staff out of approximately 4,500 employees. Of those, 15 are linked to outbreaks at its hospital sites.
The health unit reported four additional COVID-19 deaths and 1,124 new cases since Friday, including 223 on Monday. Daily case counts no longer provide a full picture of COVID-19 activity in the community because only select groups are eligible for PCR testing.