Windsor Regional Hospital (WRH) has accepted two COVID-19 patients from Manitoba who are currently on ventilators in the hospital's Intensive Care Units (ICU).
The hospital confirmed the news on Sunday following a statement by Shared Health Manitoba that it had sent additional COVID-19 patients to a few hospitals in Ontario as part of a collaborative effort between hospitals.
“We are one of a handful of Ontario hospitals with ICU capabilities being asked to support our fellow Canadians during Wave 3," said WRH President and CEO David Musyj. "In addition to the two patients from Manitoba, over the past two months, we have been able to accept 87 COVID-19 positive patients, with only nine of them remaining with WRH as inpatients.”
Manitoba started transferring patients to hospitals in Ontario on May 18. Aside from the hospital in Windsor, Manitobans have also been transferred to hospitals in Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Ottawa, and North Bay.
“Our team will continue to provide exceptional clinical care for patients from our region and Ontario and also those we are asked to support from across Canada,” said WRH Chief of Staff Dr. Wassim Saad.
Hospital officials also said in a statement that residents need to continue following COVID-19 safety measures.
"We need as a province and country to continue to adhere to public health measures and do everything in our individual and collective power to gain access to more COVID-19 vaccines to vaccinate more Canadians with not only first doses but also second doses,” agreed both Musyj and Saad.
Shared Health reported Sunday afternoon that as of midnight, 120 patients in Manitoba were in intensive care, 74 were COVID-19 patients. Shared Health also said of those 74 COVID-19 patients, 10 were under the age of 40.
"Since May 18, Manitoba has moved five patients to Thunder Bay, two to Sault Ste. Marie, plus one each to Ottawa, North Bay, and Windsor. Additional COVID patients in ICU are tentatively scheduled for transfer out of province [on Sunday]," read a statement from Shared Health. "We are grateful to our colleagues in Ontario for their partnership and support in the care of Manitobans with COVID-19.”
Shared Health said as of Sunday, efforts to increase ICU capacity were ongoing.