Chatham ICU full. Majority unvaccinated. Surgery scheduling day-by-day: CKHA
Chatham-Kent health officials are “disheartened and worried” about the direction COVID-19 is taking in the region, saying the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is at capacity, and the majority of patients are unvaccinated.
Top hospital staff are again pleading with unvaccinated residents to get their shots.
“It is the best thing that we can do to protect ourselves and others,”says Chatham-Kent Heath Alliance President and CEO Lori Marshall.
“It’s not too late to get vaccinated,” adds Chatham-Kent Medical Officer of Heath Dr. David Colby. “In order to protect everyone in our community, we’ve got to roll up our sleeves and we’ve got to do it as fast as we can.”
Colby urges hesitant residents to stop believing myths about the vaccine, “Myths that the vaccine is untested. Myths that the vaccine is unsafe. Myths that the vaccine is ineffective. It’s very effective.” Colby adds, “It’s no shame to change your mind and realize that the evidence supports getting vaccinated.”
Colby indicated Thursday that his frustration level with those spreading misconceptions is high, “On a scale of one to 10, it’s up in the thousands!”
Marshall says there are currently 16 people in hospital with COVID-19, including 13 who remain unvaccinated. Five of those people are in the ICU, Marshall adds, with two needing ventilation.
“We’ve all heard this tune before or seen this show before in terms of when hospitals become overwhelmed,” says Marshall. “The only outlet that we have is to reduce our scheduled care and that impacts then on surgical patients who may have to be cancelled.”
Marshall fears surgeries may have to be cancelled saying scheduling is currently day-to-day noting medical, surgical, and critical care beds are also near capacity.
“Again, we are not doing that at this stage but it is something that I am really worried and concerned about that we may have to go down that road again,” she adds.
Marshall notes the current average age of an ICU patient is 61, saying the ages range between 20 to 93.
Colby reiterates that vaccines keep most COVID-19-positive people out of hospital, explaining health officials don’t want to make difficult decisions about who can and cannot receive health care, should more ICUs in the region reach capacity.
“We do not want to go there. We do not want to go there at all. We want to have enough health care for everyone who needs it, especially those in desperate need! We are a compassionate society, and we must maintain that compassion and I implore everyone to do their part by getting vaccinated.”
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.
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.
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.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
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.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.