Some Ontario hospitals return to seasonal levels after unprecedented fall surge in patients

Some Ontario hospital workers bracing for a surge of patients are breathing a sigh of relief during what is typically the busiest day for emergency room visits.

“The blizzard over the weekend slowed down contact, so that might slow things down for us,” said Dr. Kashif Pirzada.

From September to November, Ontario’s healthcare system was overwhelmed by a triple threat of viruses and staffing shortages that forced some hospitals to close their emergency departments and critical care units.

Infectious diseases physicians, including Toronto specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch, tell CityNews it is too early to know for sure, but cases in Ontario and across the country may have peaked.

“The RSV waves in Canada look pretty convincing that it was not getting worse, and it was getting better,” Dr. Bogoch said. “From an influenza standpoint, we’ve probably peaked.”

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Canada has been experiencing a nationwide shortage of children’s pain medications for months, leaving parents scrambling to manage their children’s fever and pain. In Australia, the flu season started and ended earlier, and there is hope the same is happening in Canada.

Flu cases in the U.S. also appear to have peaked, so doctors say it wouldn’t be surprising if Canada followed the same path.

“Even if we have peaked, it’s a long way down the other side of the mountain, and there’s still a lot of Influenza circulating out there,” Dr. Bogoch said.

The Ontario Medical Association (OMA) says Influenza A is the predominant virus affecting children this season. Children’s hospitals like SickKids in Toronto have been under immense pressure and above occupancy for months.

In Canada, Public Health Ontario confirmed last week that it is “currently seeing an increase in cases for Invasive Group A Strep.” Group A streptococcus is a type of bacteria that grows in the nose, throat and sometimes the skin. Often, kids carry it around without any infection happening.

Strep A also causes common childhood infections, such as strep throat and scarlet fever, experts say.

RELATED: Ontario currently over capacity with pediatric ICU beds, new data shows

As a result of a spike in admissions, SickKids in Toronto was forced to cancel surgeries to re-deploy staff to care for emergent patients, but there is good news on that front too.

Dr. Alia Sunderji, an emergency room physician at SickKids, said the hospital had returned to its seasonal norms for the past couple of weeks. Dr. Sunderji says on average, their seasonal norm is about 230 patients per day. She notes that wait times in the ER will fluctuate and might still be extended, depending on the severity of the illness.

Doctors also say it’s essential to know emergency departments are safe for children and that the initial triage assessment is precious.

“If you find yourself waiting in the emergency department, know that it’s because a highly specialized person, a highly trained nurse, has assessed you, taken your vitals, and has deemed that your child is safe,” Dr. Sunderji said.

Even though this weekend was quieter than expected, health experts stress that the next few weeks are critical for a return to normalcy.

“The Christmas holiday itself is quiet, but after Christmas is our busiest time of year,” Dr. Pirzada said. “Having all of these viruses attacking at the same time is not going to help.”

With files from The Canadian Press