Non-urgent surgeries have not yet resumed in Niagara.
Chief of Staff at Niagara Health, Dr. Johan Viljoen, says the organization paused non-urgent services following provincial direction in early January, and they are waiting for government direction to gradually re-introduce them.
He says hospitals continue to experience significant capacity and human resource pressures related to the pandemic, and they are having to transfer critically ill patients out of the region to receive care.
Dr. Viljoen says Niagara Health has had to temporarily close the Fort Erie Urgent Care Centre to redeploy staff to our Emergency Departments and to care for critical care patients.
"As with previous waves, we will need to be cautious and innovative with our recovery efforts."
Niagara Health is treating 88 COVID patients in hospital currently, with 26 in the ICU.