Ontario hospitals cancelling non-emergency surgeries to make room for coronavirus patients

Over 4,400 new cases of coronavirus were reported in Ontario on Sunday, the highest level since the beginning of the pandemic for the province.

605 people are currently in intensive care units (ICUs) across Ontario, but that number could rise to 1,000 in the near future according to Health Minister Christine Elliott.

While hospitals in Northern Ontario are currently exempt from such cancellations, such hospitals received a memo from the government telling them that they may need to begin cancellations in the near future. The memo also asked that staff be relocated to other hospitals around the province if necessary.

Some hospitals, such as Toronto's Sick Kids Hospital, are going to be taking in pediatric patients "to help increase capacity in acute-care hospitals, as directed by the GTA Hospital Incident Management System (IMS) Command Centre." A number of hospitals across Toronto have closed their pediatric units to make room for more patients suffering from coronavirus.

The news also comes as the Ontario government seeks to expand coronavirus vaccine distribution efforts across the province, making the AstraZeneca vaccine available to all adults over the age of 55 this week.