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
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.