As of the end of today (Wed), another three COVID-19 ICU patients will be receiving care in Ontario, for a total of six, and the President of the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency says the number for tomorrow, if there are any, is still being finalized. Chief of Emergency Operations with the Saskatchewan Health Authority, Derek Miller, explains there are a number of factors to consider, including the stability of the patient.

Another is the ICU capacity. The threshold right now is 116 ICU patients. He notes that as of Wednesday morning there were 82 COVID-19 patients in an ICU and 35 who don’t have COVID, for a total of 117. ICU capacity has increased to 136 beds, but Miller says it’s not the number of beds that is the issue, it’s whether there is enough trained staff to care for the patients, while making sure there is room in ICU to respond to accidents and emergency situations. Almost 200 staff have been deployed to augment the team.

For the ICU staff that have been there since the beginning, Miller says they have had to endure extensive overtime, and it’s a testament to their commitment they have delivered the service they have 24 hours a day, seven days a week.