Michael Garron Hospital says it was forced to cancel some surgical procedures and divert ambulances to other hospitals to protect the supply of oxygen at the hospital.
Posted Apr 30, 2021, 05:22AM EDT
Michael Garron Hospital says it was forced to cancel some surgical procedures and divert ambulances to other hospitals to protect the supply of oxygen at the hospital.
In a statement to CityNews, the hospital said it was forced to take “precautionary measures” to preserve its oxygen resource and was working on expanding its on-site oxygen capacity.
The hospital maintained that at no time were any patients at risk.
“Early [Thursday] morning, Michael Garron Hospital identified potential risks to its oxygen supply due to the high volume of COVID-19 patients requiring oxygen at the hospital,” said Mark Fam, Vice President, Programs. “The hospital also brought on additional temporary oxygen capacity, so that all patients requiring oxygen in the hospital have what they need.”
The hospital said a “small number” of patients needed to be transferred but did not specify how many and where they were sent.
Michael Garron is currently treating 61 COVID-19 patients in its hospital.
Earlier this month, hospitals ramped down non-urgent procedures and were also given the authority to transfer patients to other hospitals without their consent by the provincial government.
