The number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units across the country has reached a near record as the spread of more contagious variants drives up hospitalizations, prompting Ontario officials to scale back on non-urgent procedures.
Canada's chief public health officer says the number of new COVID-19 cases linked to variants of concern has doubled over the past week, with B.1.1.7, first identified in the U.K., ``essentially replacing'' pre-existing versions of the virus.
Dr. Theresa Tam said the rapid acceleration of these strains is fuelling a rapid COVID-19 resurgence that is sending more patients to hospital with severe illness, including young people, and threatens to push intensive care units to their limits.
``The race between the vaccine and the variants is at a critical point,'' Tam told reporters Friday. ``It is clear that we need stronger control to combat variants of concern that are driving rapid epidemic growth in many areas of the country.''
Last week, hospitals treated an average of more than 2,500 patients with COVID-19 each day, up seven per cent from the previous week, said Tam.
That includes 860 patients in intensive care units, she said, amounting to a 23 per cent increase over last week.
Niagara Health has started postponing surgeries while it makes room for critical patients.