On a day Ontario reported 153 patients in hospital intensive care with COVID-19 related critical illness. the province’s critical care system is said not have the capacity currently to accommodate a surge in this 4th wave.

That from Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, which cites ”worsening staff shortages, healthcare worker burnout, and health system recovery efforts” as the reasons.

As a result the health advisers add it may be ”more challenging for the critical care system to rapidly increase capacity as it did during prior pandemic waves.” 

They say public health measures are needed to mitigate influxes of critically ill patients.

The advisers say health system recovery is now a ”key priority” with Ontario Health recommending that over the coming months hospitals ”preserve access to non-COVID-19 scheduled surgeries, procedures and diagnostic imaging.”

Recent projections by the group have indicated ICU occupancy will continue to climb and could reach around 200 by the new year.