Windsor Regional Hospital is expecting a bigger pinch in resources as the number of cases of the COVID-19 Omicron variant continues to rise.
At its first board meeting of 2022 Thursday evening, the hospital discussed the latest numbers and trends on the virus in Windsor-Essex, with emphasis on the milder but more contagious Omicron variant.
Windsor Regional Hospital President and CEO David Musyj said despite Omicron moving faster, we may not have seen the worst of it yet.
"We haven't seen the full impact of Omicron in our community, and definitely not in our hospitals, for another couple of weeks, then we're going to feel the full brunt of Omicron in Windsor-Essex," said Musyj.
The data presented at the meeting showed a dramatic increase in the presence of the virus in wastewater, with the Omicron variant taking over as the dominant strain and the more severe Delta variant falling off.
Musyj pointed out the misconception some people in the community have had about a lack of substantial Omicrom increase between November and December, stating that it was not a reliable indicator that everything was fine.
"It might have been first detected in Ontario in November, but it really wasn't around in Windsor-Essex until around Christmastime and a little bit later," said Musyj. "So it was that last week of December when we started to see a rise in the COVID numbers, the differential is caused by the increase in the Omicron."
This week, the Ontario Ministry of Health directed all hospitals to cancel non-urgent or non-emergent surgeries, along with non-urgent diagnostic imaging or ambulatory clinical activity, to address overall bed capacity. Musyj said with that in mind, there is wiggle room for bed space in clinical and surgical areas. He cautions once again, though, on the speed of the variant.
"We have a little bit of room, but this room can evaporate, and unfortunately, with the projections, it's going to evaporate quickly," said Musyj.
