Mississauga leads Ontario in number of COVID-19 patients in hospital

Hospitals across the province are struggling with a sudden surge in COVID-19 patients, but that burden is currently at its highest rate in Mississauga.

Trillium Health Partners currently has more than 300 patients in hospital with COVID-19, which is the largest number in the entire province.

“Like everywhere across Ontario, Mississauga is grappling with high case counts due to the transmissibility of Omicron,” Mayor Bonnie Crombie said during her weekly press briefing.

“This has put an enormous strain on Trillium Health Partners, who are seeing an unprecedented demand on their system.”

Trillium, which operates Credit Valley Hospital, Mississauga Hospital and Queensway Health Centre, is also seeing a dramatic spike in the number of severe cases of the virus.

“They have double the number of ICU patients that they had just a week ago, and several hundred staff members off due to illness or to isolation,” Crombie added.

“It is that high absolute number of individuals who are unvaccinated that continue to drive the cases of severe hospitalization and ICU demand,” said Dr. Lawrence Loh, Medical Officer of Health for Peel Region.

The city’s mayor also admits the situation will likely grow worse before it gets better.

“Modelling suggests that Omicron could very well peak in the third or fourth week of January, which means that the pressure on our hospitals will continue in the weeks to come,” Crombie said.

The hospital crunch comes as vaccination rates for young children remains low across Peel Region. Currently, nearly 40 per cent of Peel children between the ages of five and 11 have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. That trails far behind the provincial average of 47 per cent.

“For our children aged 5 to 11, in particular, I can’t stress enough how important it is to offer them the protection that the vaccine provides,” Loh said.

“The vaccine is safe and effective for children and will help to reduce risk in their interactions, protecting them from hospitalization as well as other rare and severe outcomes during this Omicron surge and beyond.”

Peel is boosting its vaccination opportunities, with a focus on reaching those who have yet to roll up their sleeves. Walk-in appointments are now being offered at all of the region’s vaccination clinics for those needing a first or second dose, regardless of age.

A special family-based clinic is also planned for Sunday at the Save Max Sports Centre. The one-day event will allow families to book appointments for both children and adults at the same time.

Health officials say the timing is urgent, with the risk of infection becoming more and more inevitable.

“Given how widespread transmission is occurring in Peel, we will all likely confront this variant in some manner in the coming months, either directly via infection or through exposure and close contact,” Loh said.

“Our focus is shifting in our approach towards prevent severe outcomes like hospitalizations and death rather than infection alone.”

Correction: The majority of COVID-19 patients in Trillium Hospital’s intensive care units are vaccinated, not unvaccinated as previously written