Ornge air ambulance, the organization in charge of patient transfers, says it transferred 1,125 COVID-19 patients in ICUs across Ontario in April and another 183 patients from May 1 to May 5.
April’s transfers were significantly higher than January, February and March which saw around 200-250 patients being transferred each month.
The highest number of patients were from Brampton Civic Hospital with 270 patients, then Etobicoke General with 143, Humber River Hospital with 111 and Scarborough Hospital — Centenary Campus with 86 patients.
In April patients were taken to hospitals as far away as in Windsor, Thunder Bay, Ottawa, Sault. Ste Marie, Owen Sound and Sudbury.
April saw some of the highest COVID-19 case counts and record hospitalizations and those in ICUs as the province grappled with keeping the health care system from collapsing.
Those in hospital battling the virus hit pandemic records of more than 2,300 and almost 900 patients in ICUs by the end of the month.
In total from Jan 1 to May 6, 1,976 patients were transferred across the province to create ICU capacity, a spokesperson for Ornge said.
Of the 1,976 patients, 1,141 were taken by local paramedic services. There were 835 transported by Ornge, with 718 taken by Ornge’s critical care land ambulances, 65 by Ornge airplanes and 53 by Ornge helicopters.