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9 Lower Mainland hospitals to postpone non-urgent surgeries as hospitalizations surge

Record number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals across B.C.
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A ambulance drives past the emergency entrance of Vancouver General Hospital in Vancouver, B.C., Friday, April 9, 2021. COVID-19 cases have been on a steady increase in the province of British Columbia over the past week. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

Nine hospitals across the Lower Mainland will postpone non-urgent surgeries for the next two weeks due to staffing concerns brought about by a surge in COVID-19 patients.

During a press conference Thursday (April 22), Health Minister Adrian Dix announced that officials expect 750 surgeries to be postponed in Fraser Health and 1,000 to be postponed in Vancouver Coastal Health.

Starting next week, these hospital will perform only urgent and emergent surgeries: Abbotsford Regional Hospital, Burnaby Hospital, Surrey Memorial Hospital, Royal Columbian Hospital, Lions Gate Hospital, Richmond Hospital, St. Paul’s Hospital, the UBC Hospital and Vancouver General Hospital.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said there are 502 people in hospital with the virus as of Thursday, 161 of whom are in ICU.

“The pressure on our health care system is immense right now, our health care workers need our help right now,” she said.

However, Henry urged anyone who needs urgent medical care to go to their closest emergency room without delay.

READ MORE: B.C. sees 1,006 more COVID-19 cases Thursday, ‘alarming’ 502 in hospital

More to come.


@katslepian

katya.slepian@bpdigital.ca

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