Windsor Regional Hospital has taken in two ICU patients from Manitoba as the province continues to battle a third wave of COVID-19.
Chief of Staff Dr. Wassim Saad confirmed both patients were airlifted to WRH over the weekend and are on ventilators due to the virus. Seventy-four of the 120 patients in Manitoba ICUs are currently being treated for COVID-19.
Saad tells AM800 News that Manitoba's ICU cases continue to climb while ICU numbers in Windsor and Ontario are starting to level off.
"I can't even fathom a scenario where you would say no ... we have capacity and we have the skill set to take care of these patients so we accepted them," he says. "We're going to look after them to the best of our ability and provide exceptional care."
Ten COVID-19 patients from Manitoba have now been admitted to ICU's in Ontario.
Saad says Windsor took in two of three COVID-19 patients transferred from Manitoba on Saturday and they doesn't pose a risk to the hospital.
"We follow all the appropriate PPE protocols and infection prevention control measures, so there's virtually no risk of an infection spreading from that transfer," he says.
Windsor's ICUs are currently treating one local patient, nine from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and two from Manitoba.
Saad says vaccinations are starting to reduce the severity of COVID-19 cases in the region, so he's reminding residents to get their first shot and follow through on their second dose.