Niagara Health is temporarily closing the Urgent Care Centre in Fort Erie.
The move comes as they try to address staffing concerns at Emergency Departments across Niagara.
Currently they have 354 staff in self-isolation and have had 146 new positive cases in the last two weeks.
The Fort Erie Urgent Care Centre will close Thursday at 11 p.m.
“This wave of the pandemic is beyond anything we have experienced. We have exhausted all options, and the temporary closure of the Urgent Care Centre is a measure of last resort,” says Lynn Guerriero, Niagara Health President and CEO. “Our healthcare teams continue to provide care to our patients with professionalism and compassion. Our Urgent Care team members have a unique set of skills that are urgently needed in our Emergency Departments, and we are grateful for their commitment to Niagara.”
Currently, there are 104 patients admitted with COVID-19 and 15 in the ICU.
With that they have reached capacity in their Intensive Care Unit and opened eight additional critical care beds.
Outpatient cataract surgeries have been postponed this week.
Next week, scheduled inpatient surgeries will resume at 30%, focusing on cancer and other urgent cases.