Sask. and Ont. officials disagreeing over number of ICU patient transfers
Saskatchewan’s Provincial Emergency Operations Centre said there are no plans to transfer more than six patients to Ontario as of Wednesday morning – contradicting information provided by health officials in Ontario.
Ontario Health executive vice president Dr. Chris Simpson told CP24 on Tuesday there are plans in place to transfer an additional six patients throughout Thursday and Friday – which would bring the total number of patient transfers from Saskatchewan to 12.
Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency president Marlo Pritchard said that is not the case.
“I'm not sure where that number came from. I can't speak to what they say,” Pritchard said. “We have shipped out three, we will be shipping out a further three, and we are planning and continuing to assess moving forward.”
Pritchard said the number of patients being sent out of the province can change based on demand over the coming days.
On Monday, the province confirmed six intensive care patients from the province will be sent to Ontario. Moe also said the province requested specialized ICU support from Ottawa.
Dr. Simpson told CP24 that Ontario can easily accommodate a dozen patients from Saskatchewan.
“Bringing just 12 patients here has very little impact on our overall operations, we can easily accommodate that within our current infrastructure without moving health human resources around,” he said. “It really makes all the difference in the world to the Saskatchewan health system by freeing up those beds for patients who might be victims of motor vehicle crashes or who require surgery.”
Saskatchewan hospitals have suspended all organ transplants, neurosurgery and intensive cardiac care to focus resources on COVID-19 patients.
On Tuesday, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe apologized to residents impacted by significant health service slowdowns related to COVID-19.
There are 335 residents receiving hospital treatment for COVID-19 in Saskatchewan as of Tuesday’s update, with 83 of those people in intensive care. The province said 75 per cent of hospitalized patients were not fully vaccinated.
In Ontario – a province with 12 times the population – there are 258 COVID-19 patients who are hospitalized. Of those people, 159 are in intensive care.
With files from CP24’s Chris Fox.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'