Health Care System Besieged by COVID-19: Health Coalition demands Ford answer for lack of action

Attn: Assignment Editor

TORONTO, Jan. 20, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- There are more than 4,000 patients with COVID-19 in Ontario’s hospitals, an all time high for this pandemic. Staffing levels across hospitals, long-term care and home care are catastrophic. Yet there is still no response from the Ford government except to talk about lifting public health measures.

There are 594 patients fighting for their lives in ICUs due to COVID-19. Yesterday, 75 Ontarians – 3 per hour – died as a result of COVID-19. Public Health reports that 59 people died the day before. The day before that? 37.

There are currently 970 outbreaks in hospitals, long-term care homes and retirement homes, also an all time high for this pandemic, and that number is also going up.

Summary of recent confirmed COVID-19 outbreaks reported in long-term care homes, retirement homes and hospitals by status: Ontario

Institution type	Change in outbreaks January 18, 2022	Change in outbreaks January 19, 2022	Number of ongoing outbreaks	Cumulative number of outbreaks reported
Long-term care homes	9	10	420	2,026
Retirement homes	10	11	316	1,285
Hospitals	11	8	234	948

Note: Ongoing outbreaks are those that are reported in CCM as ‘Open’ and without a ‘Declared Over Date’ recorded. The start of the outbreak is determined by the onset date of first case, or if missing the outbreak reported date, or else if that is also missing, then the outbreak created date.
Data Source: CCM

“We are in a far worse place in health care than we were last year at this time,” noted Natalie Mehra, executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition. “Yet the messaging from the Ford government appears to be driven by self-serving politics. This pandemic will end. But right now, we are in a health system catastrophe, and this government has done virtually nothing to help get care to patients in need. We need accountability. We need answers. We need leadership in the public interest -- not electioneering -- right now.”

The Coalition, along with organizations representing more than a million Ontarians on the front lines of the health care crisis, forged a list of concrete measures that would make a difference in the health care staffing emergency and released it last Friday. To date, the Ford government has not responded and has not acted on them.

For more information: Natalie Mehra, executive director, 416-230-6402 (cell).

Ontario Health Coalition
Briefing Note

COVID-19 outbreaks in health care this week compared to the same week last year:

Daily COVID-19 Outbreaks in Ontario: 2021 vs. 2022 (# of ongoing outbreaks - 1 week period)
This week last year:	Same period this year:
Long-Term Care Homes January 11, 2021: 261 January 12, 2021: 267 January 13, 2021: 259 January 14, 2021: 250 January 15, 2021: 250 January 16, 2021: 252 January 17, 2021: 252 January 18, 2021: 259	Long-Term Care Homes January 11, 2022: 389 January 12, 2022: 400 January 13, 2022: 411 January 14, 2022: 417 January 15, 2022: 424 January 16, 2022: 426 January 17, 2022: 421 January 18, 2022: 422
Hospitals January 11, 2021: 84 January 12, 2021: 85 January 13, 2021: 89 January 14, 2021: 93 January 15, 2021: 92 January 16, 2021: 89 January 17, 2021: 88 January 18, 2021: 88	Hospitals January 11, 2022: 204 January 12, 2022: 210 January 13, 2022: 217 January 14, 2022: 222 January 15, 2022: 231 January 16, 2022: 236 January 17, 2022: 239 January 18, 2022: 241
Retirement Homes January 11, 2021: 162 January 12, 2021: 164 January 13, 2021: 163 January 14, 2021: 163 January 15, 2021: 168 January 16, 2021: 171 January 17, 2021: 171 January 18, 2021: 171	Retirement Homes January 11, 2022: 268 January 12, 2022: 282 January 13, 2022: 298 January 14, 2022: 305 January 15, 2022: 319 January 16, 2022: 317 January 17, 2022: 318 January 18, 2022: 318