Hamilton, Niagara won't put mask mandates in place unless Ontario makes a move
Local hospitals see rise in pediatric cases as viral illnesses surge earlier than usual
Public health units and schools in Hamilton and Niagara aren't considering implementing mask mandates unless the province makes a move as COVID-19 transmission is rising and children are overcrowding local hospitals.
"Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, we've learned that a patchwork of different public health measures in different regions is ineffective in reducing transmission in a meaningful way," read a statement from Dr. Elizabeth Richardson, Hamilton's medical officer of health.
"Any measures would need to be introduced from the provincial level," she said, adding the city strongly recommends wearing masks indoors.
Dr. Mustafa Hirji, Niagara's acting medical officer of health, echoed those comments, saying a provincial mandate would have more sway than a local mandate.
"I, along with peers, continue to advocate for provincial action on masking," he said. "Provincial mandates are needed for a provincewide risk."
Public and Catholic school boards and post-secondary institutions in both municipalities told CBC Hamilton they weren't adding in or bolstering masking mandates right now. That said, many continue to encourage students to wear masks and have them readily available for them.
Critical Care Services Ontario's daily census shows pediatric intensive care units (ICU) are operating over capacity, with the number of children receiving care exceeding the number of available beds across Ontario as pediatric respiratory illnesses surge.
Some medical experts have started to call for renewed mask mandates in light of viral illness trends and pressures on hospitals, and Toronto's board of health this week asked its top doctor to explore mandatory masking as an option to mitigate disease spread.
On Thursday, Canada's chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, encouraged mask wearing as hospitals struggle.
McMaster Children's Hospital roughly 135% full
Hamilton public health's COVID-19 dashboard shows transmission is rising in the city. It says 630 people have died of the virus since the pandemic started in March 2020 and there are currently 29 active outbreaks.
Scarsin Forecasting between Nov. 9, 2022, and March 31, 2023, indicates there will be another wave in the winter that is expected to contribute to 92 deaths.
A Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) staff and physician town hall on Nov. 7 highlighted some struggles the hospital network is facing.
Sharon Pierson, HHS executive vice-president of clinical operations and chief operating officer, said while the entire network is "very stressed," it's even worse in pediatrics, with inpatient occupancy rates nearing 135 per cent.
Critical care and emergency departments at McMaster Children's Hospital are also facing "significant challenges," according to a slide in the meeting.
"We had to do a fairly substantial reduction in surgical activity to create the medicine bed capacity we need across the site," Pierson said at the meeting.
"There was a communication out to the site looking for volunteers from ambulatory and other areas to support the in-patient areas."
Pierson said the organization is trying to see if young people can be treated in adult inpatient and ICU beds.
"We are anticipating a further surge in our volumes," she added.
Pierson said there's also a rise in COVID-19 patients at HHS sites. There were 127 patients with the virus, fewer than five of whom were in the ICU, she said.
"Two weeks ago … we had 91, so we just incrementally go up," Pierson said.
There were 197 staff in isolation and five active outbreaks.
'Immense pressures' at West Haldimand General Hospital
West Haldimand General Hospital (WHGH) said in a news release on Wednesday it "continues to face immense pressures related to staffing shortages and capacity pressures."
"WHGH is seeing an unusually high seasonal surge in viral illnesses in the emergency department and are concerned about hospital capacity now and in the coming months," read the statement.
"WHGH has frequently reached 100 per cent occupancy over the past year and in recent months."
The hospital urged people to only go to the emergency department if there's a critical health concern, because they're the ones who will be given priority.
WATCH | New data reveals extent of children's hospital ER surge:
"WHGH is also experiencing a trend of people from other areas accessing the emergency department believing they will not have to wait as long; however, all hospitals are facing similar staffing challenges," said AnneMarie VanSickle, the emergency department's director.
"Other challenges we are facing is when a patient requires a transfer to another hospital for diagnostics or for a higher level of care, a nurse must accompany the patient. This decreases the number of nurses available in the department to provide care."
St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton is reporting 36 COVID-19 patients and three in critical care. It also says there are three outbreaks.
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With files from The Canadian Press and Lorenda Reddekopp