A hospital in Kitchener, Ont., says it’s postponing some elective surgeries and temporarily closing an operating room as 120 staff members have to stay home due to COVID-19.
The Grand River Hospital says the affected employees – amounting to two per cent of the workforce _ have either tested positive for COVID-19 or been exposed to someone who has.
Hospital spokeswoman Cheryl Evans says the situation has led to the “unanticipated” temporary closure of one of the hospital’s operating rooms and affected the ability to proceed with between two and ten elective surgeries a day.
Evans says the hospital is prioritizing urgent cases, including cancer cases.
She says the hospital plans to ramp surgeries back up in August and further in September.
Ontario is currently experiencing a seventh wave of COVID-19.