'It’s like out of the movies': Doctors treating influx of pediatric patients
London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) said they are currently seeing an overwhelming influx of young patients.
“We would normally see 100 to 110 patients a day, that's what our capacity is built for, that's what our staffing is built for. Then two days ago we had 200 patients,” said Dr. Rod Lim, director of the pediatric emergency department at LHSC.
Since October, the children’s emergency department has warned of up to six hours or more in wait times.
Lim said it’s the perfect storm between seeing an increase in viral activity sooner than normal, an overwhelming amount of cases in RSV, influenza and COVID-19, and being short on staff.
“In our department, like a lot of industries, we are working short staffed. It's like out of the movies we are working as hard as we can, as creatively as we can,” said Lim.
He adds, his staff has resorted to treating some patients in hallways and waiting room chairs.
Lim encourages the public to seek alternate professional medical attention like family doctors or walk-in clinics.
If you do plan on attending the emergency department, the hospital suggests bringing water and snacks, a phone charger and a book.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
Spike in 'violent rhetoric' since Oct. 7 attack from 'extremist actors,' CSIS warns
The Israel-Hamas war has led to a spike in 'violent rhetoric' from 'extremist actors' that could prompt some in Canada to turn to violence, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warns.
Russia announces nuclear weapon drills after angry exchange with senior Western officials
Russia plans to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine and Moscow warned that tensions with the West are deepening.
Summer forecast: What to expect as El Nino weakens
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Israeli army tells Palestinians to evacuate parts of Gaza's Rafah ahead of an expected assault
The Israeli army on Monday ordered tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza's southern city of Rafah to start evacuating from the area, signalling that a long-promised ground invasion there could be imminent.