'We have reached a tipping point': York hospitals concerned with COVID-19-related volume on the rise

680News.com
Dec. 9, 2020
Caryn Ceolin and Lucas Casaletto

York Region’s major hospitals warn they’ve reached a tipping point in their ability to cope with COVID-19.

The heads of Mackenzie Health, Markham Stouffville and Southlake Regional Health Centre say a rapidly rising number of coronavirus patients over the last week has pushed their hospitals to the brink of a capacity crisis.

They worry about how this will impact access to care for all patients, and the possibility of more surgeries being cancelled.

But Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua believes tougher measures are not necessary right now.

“I think there’s a strategy in place in York Region,” he says. “We have to stick with the strategy.”

York has so far avoided joining its GTA peers Toronto and Peel in lockdown. At the time, the region’s medical office of health, Dr. Karim Kurji, said local hospitals were strained, but managing.

Bevilacqua says they’ll get a clearer picture next week if red zone restrictions are working.

“December 14th is going to tell us whether the modelling is capturing all the elements of COVID-19 and its spread.”

The latest figures show just over 1,200 active cases in the municipality, including 65 patients who are hospitalized, with 10 in the ICU. According to data from the province, the region’s seven-day rolling average of new cases has risen to 107.6 per 100,000 people for the week ending Dec. 4, an increase of 17.6 per cent from the previous week.

The letter from the hospital CEOs did not call for lockdown restrictions, but said residents need to “do better.” They’re pleading with the public to vigilantly follow public health rules to slow the spread, like masking-up and cancelling any planned social visits this holiday season. They admit that will be hard, but notes gatherings of all sizes have helped fuel this surging second wave.

For that reason, Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti says a lockdown isn’t worth it.

“If we don’t do our part, we can have all the rules in place that you want, but if you’re going to get together with people outside your household, then we can have a dire situation on our hands.”

The association representing Ontario hospitals also sounded the alarm Tuesday, saying ICU cases are climbing toward potentially devastating levels across the province.