Saskatoon hospitals grapple with bed shortages as COVID-19 numbers rise
As the Omicron COVID-19 surge gains momentum in Saskatchewan, Saskatoon's hospitals are facing a bed crunch.
In a note to city physicians, Saskatoon Health Authority chief of staff Dr. Grant Stoneham called the current situation "very concerning."
"We have been asked to remind all physicians to please re-evaluate all currently admitted patients and discharge those who are ready to go home as to free up in-hospital beds," Stoneham wrote in the memo sent on Sunday.
"I imagine that you all do this on a daily basis, but we were asked to encourage a reassessment of bed status where possible."
A screen capture of the note was shared on Twitter Monday morning by NDP MLA Vicki Mowatt.
According to Stoneham's memo, on Sunday there were 19 admissions pending at St. Paul's Hospital and 20 at Royal University Hospital.
There were no beds available at either hospital at the time of Stoneham's message.
On Sunday there were 80 Saskatoon-area COVID-19 hospitalizations, according to the provincial government.
That's up from 53 a week prior on Jan. 9 and 31 admissions two weeks ago on Jan 2.
In an emailed statement, the Ministry of Health said Stoneham's memo was part of "a regular process" that occurs when hospital "capacity is challenged."
There were 3,329 active COVID-19 cases reported in the Saskatoon area on Sunday.
However, as the province has shifted to rapid, at-home testing as the primary method to detect coronavirus cases, many cases go unreported.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
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.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.