Patient-lined hallways at Windsor Regional Hospital should start to clear out, soon.
Both campuses have been over capacity for weeks because of a spike in flu cases and other respiratory illnesses.
But that's expected to ease as early as next week.
The hospital's Chief of Staff, Dr. Gary Ing credits staff with giving the best care possible under difficult of conditions. "We want to take care of every patient the way we look after our relatives and parents. We want to do the best we can and provide the best care, but under the circumstances sometimes it's very difficult. There are priorities, there are conflicting interests, so it's very difficult for our team to make a decision to postpone surgeries."
"This is the worst I've ever seen," says Ing. "I know two or three years ago we got hit once, but not this severe. In comes in cycles every two or three years, you tend to see a little peak. But I think this past season, right now, is the toughest we have faced."
Ing says as many as 25 surgeries had to be postponed. Many have now been rescheduled or completed.
But the crunch isn't over quite yet.
The hospital is bracing for another surge in March, mainly cases of Influenza 'B'.