Mississauga hospitals have more COVID-19 patients than any other hospital in Ontario

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Published January 13, 2022 at 11:11 am

An enormously strained Mississauga hospital system is treating more patients for COVID-19 than any other hospital in Ontario, Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie said this morning.

Speaking at the City of Mississauga’s weekly COVID-19 update, Crombie said that while the situation overall in Mississauga is stable, rising case numbers are impacting Mississauga and Credit Valley hospitals.

“Mississauga is grappling with high case numbers and that’s putting an enormous strain on our hospitals,” said Crombie, adding the impact of the new, highly transmissible Omicron variant won’t likely hit its peak until the third or fourth week of January.

“Right now, we’re at a critical juncture,” continued Crombie. “And we need all hands on deck to alleviate the pressure on hospitals.”

As of today, Trillium Health Partners (THP), which operates Mississauga and Credit Valley hospitals in addition to the Queensway Health Centre in Etobicoke, is treating 323 COVID-19 patients in hospital.

That number, up from about 200 less than a week ago, is the highest number of any hospital system in the province, said Crombie.

Of those patients, 32 are in intensive care units (ICUs), up from 15 last week at this time.

ICU numbers at THP “have doubled from one week ago,” said Crombie, “and hundreds of (THP) staff are off work” due to COVID-19 symptoms, confirmed cases or exposures.

Crombie and Dr. Lawrence Loh, the Region of Peel’s medical officer of health, say the best way to reduce ICU numbers is for more people to get vaccinated, and for those already with two shots to get their booster shots.

Peel Public Health numbers show that 82 per cent of eligible Mississauga and Brampton residents (ages 5 and older) have at least two doses of vaccine.

Crombie and Loh urge people to book their first, second and booster shots now.

“Peel Public Health is making new booster appointments available every single day,” said Loh, adding all Peel vaccination clinics are accepting walk-ins for first and second shots.

Additionally, Loh urged parents of children ages 5 to 11 to get shots into their youngsters’ arms.

Peel’s vaccination rate for children sits at just under 40 per cent, the lowest of any municipality in the GTA.

Loh said he can’t stress enough the importance of offering kids “the protection that vaccines provide.”

Crombie said Credit Valley Hospital has also opened a vaccination clinic as of today.

The Mississauga trends mirror what’s happening in communities across Ontario.

According to the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA), there are 3,630 people across the province, as of today, being treated for COVID-19 in hospitals, an all-time high.

Of those, 485 are in ICUs, the numbers show.

The situation is also taking a toll on doctors and nurses at THP and across Ontario.

The sharp increase in cases the past month or so is directly attributable to the introduction in late November of the new, more contagious Omicron variant of the virus.

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