Pediatric inpatient occupancy over 140% at McMaster Children’s Hospital

Health care officials across Ontario say the situation in children’s hospitals continues to worsen amid an unusually high seasonal surge in viral illnesses.

In a tweet late Wednesday night, McMaster Children’s Hospital said it is experiencing over 140 per cent occupancy of ill babies and children.

Pediatric inpatient occupancy is currently over 140% at McMaster Children’s Hospital. Planning is currently underway at regional and provincial command centres to implement the pediatric/14+ transfer strategy, among others, in the coming days and weeks.

— McMaster Children’s Hospital (@mch_childrens) November 10, 2022

The crisis is also being felt in Ottawa – the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario says they have opened a second intensive care unit to treat what they are calling an unprecedented number of critically ill babies and young children and something “they’ve never seen before.”

Toronto’s board of health is asking Toronto’s medical officer of health to urgently consider reinstating the mask mandate at schools.

Complicating the issues further, there has been a shortage of pain and fever medication for children across Canada.

Hospitals continue to care for children who are sick with viruses like COVID-19, the flu and the respiratory virus known as RSV.

READ MORE: Ontario hospitals asked to treat older children as pediatric ICUs reach capacity