Efforts to have more critical care nurses trained and additional space available for critically-ill COVID-19 patients are ramping up after intensive care units in Manitoba saw a concerning spike in daily admissions over the last two weeks, health officials said Friday.
At a technical briefing held for media Friday morning, officials said ICUs that had been averaging between one and two COVID-19 patients a day two weeks ago, saw as many as 10 a day last week, and those numbers have remained steady this week, with between five and seven new patients admitted on average a day.
Intensive care beds, which normally number 71, were expanded to 129 at the peak of the second wave and were approaching that number again Friday, when 56 alone were filled with patients connected to COVID-19.
“The numbers that we’re seeing come in, admitted to (intensive care), especially this last week, have been high,” said Lanette Siragusa, chief nursing officer with Manitoba Shared Health.
“If we sustain those high admission numbers over the next days, not even weeks, we could reach that number.”
The number of people in hospital with COVID-19 also climbed to 201 Friday, as health officials announced 502 new COVID-19 cases and one death.
Siragusa said those requiring hospitalization are trending younger than they did during the first and second waves, adding 40 of those currently in hospital are under the age of 40.
To prepare for the expected surge in cases, officials say they’re creating 60 full-time critical care nursing positions at the Health Sciences Centre, St. Boniface Hospital, and Grace Hospital in Winnipeg, as well as the hospital in Brandon.
Siragusa said hospital staff from other departments are being re-deployed to work in intensive care units, and the province has also been offering expediated orientation — two-week training courses — for nurses who volunteer to work in critical care.
Some elective surgeries will also be postponed over the coming weeks in order to free up space and staff for the expected wave of COVID-19 patients, Siragusa said.
She stressed “life and limb procedures” will be given priority, along with surgeries for cardiac issues or cancer.
The province has also moved over 200 COVID-19 patients into personal care homes in just the past three weeks, a move officials say saved nearly 600 patient days with virtual care options.
Friday’s daily case count is the highest one-day case count since the middle of the pandemic’s second wave last winter, when the province was under a strict lockdown meant to protect the health-care system.
Manitoba’s chief public health officer was expected to announce tighter COVID-19 public health orders later in the day Friday.
Currently the province has banned most social visits in homes, with some exceptions for people who live alone. Outdoor public gatherings are capped at 10.
Churches, stores and gyms can only operate at reduced capacity. And restaurants can only allow members of the same household to sit together at indoor tables.
As of Friday, there were 2,989 active cases in Manitoba, including 1,232 infections confirmed to be variants of concerns, according to provincial health data.
Friday’s high case count comes after weeks of rising cases. The province announced 363 cases and four additional deaths Thursday and officials said Friday this week’s case numbers were up 25 per cent over the previous week.
Since March 2020, Manitoba has recorded 40,940 cases of COVID-19 and 987 deaths connected with the virus.
–With files from The Canadian Press
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
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To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out. In situations where you can’t keep a safe distance from others, public health officials recommend the use of a non-medical face mask or covering to prevent spreading the respiratory droplets that can carry the virus. In some provinces and municipalities across the country, masks or face coverings are now mandatory in indoor public spaces.
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