A group of Manitoba doctors are urging health officials to implement a stay-at-home order as COVID-19 infection rates continue to soar.
Chief Nursing Officer for Shared Health, Lanette Siragusa, says that the majority of hospitalizations during the third wave consist of younger Manitobans.
“The demographic of patients that we are seeing in this third wave is quite different than what we saw in wave two or wave one. They are younger patients, many between their 30’s and 50’s. Co-morbidity is not the same at all as what we saw before. They’re younger, they’re healthier, yet they are still critically ill and come in needing to be incubated, they need help with their breathing, and are admitted into ICU because of that.”
Manitoba has been transferring ICU patients to Ontario as hospitals in the province experience an overflow of patients.
The federal government says it will provide medical staff through the Canadian Red Cross as well as military help, and is also prepared to deploy epidemiologists, lab technicians, and other supports.
Provincial lead medical services specialist, Dr. Perry Gray, is calling on Manitobans to follow essential public health orders.
“The better the public health compliance, the more people we can return to non-COVID care, and provide more care to people who don’t have COVID. We want to get our staff back to them. That is why we are here asking for compliance with public health measures.”
Manitoba continues to have the highest infection rate in Canada.
