Hospitals in Ontario are being asked to scale down elective surgeries to “preserve capacity” in response to the novel coronavirus.
“In consultation with the Ontario Hospital Association, we’re asking hospitals to further implement pandemic plans by carefully ramping down elective surgeries,” Ontario’s Health Minister Christine Elliott said in a tweet Sunday afternoon just before 4:30 p.m. ET.
“Doing so will help preserve capacity to respond to #COVIDー19. A statement will follow shortly.”
The announcement came shortly after Canada’s chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam warned that Canadians need to take “strong action” to prevent further spread of the virus, which has so far claimed one life in Canada.
As of the afternoon of March 15, 313 Canadians have been diagnosed with COVID-19, and cases have been confirmed or presumed in each of the 10 provinces, said Dr. Tam.
As of 5:30 p.m. ET March 15, there were 145 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ontario, including five that have been resolved.
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