As COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths spike, N.L. health minister says health-care system will be 'managed'

Two weeks after all public health restrictions werelifted in Newfoundland and Labrador, Health Minister John Haggie says the province is still forging ahead with its return to normal despite rising hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19.

Haggie told CBC News the rising hospitalizations and deaths are not unexpected, and said he believes they may have peaked.

"At the end of the day, you know, it's life with COVID," Haggie said."The opening up and the relaxation of measures has happened across the rest of the country, and we're just following them about two or three weeks later."

Newfoundland and Labrador marked a record40 hospitalizations Monday, and people are dying because of COVID-19 almost every day. The province has scaled back COVID-19 PCR testing, so true case numbers are unknown, but are believed to be in the thousands.

About two weeks ago, officials said the province's health-care system could handle about 40 to 60 COVID-19 hospitalizations. On Tuesday, Haggie said the province is coping with the new hospitalizations by scaling back planned procedures and diverting staff from day surgeries and elective procedures into in-patient care areas.

"The system will be managed to deal with what is presented to it. The way it's managed will be an operational decision with the regional health authorities," he said.

Haggie couldn't say how many procedures have been cancelled or postponed since the beginning of the pandemic.

Haggie said it's up to Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald to decide if the province will need to reinstate any public health measures.

"Whatever we do today will take 10 to 14 days to have any effect," he said.

Taking a toll

Staffing levels in the Newfoundland and Labrador health-care system are strained too, according to the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees. On Monday, the union's president, Jerry Earle, said about 1,000 health-care workers were off work due to COVID-19, and those still working were feeling the strain.

Haggie said Tuesday that number was down to 784, but acknowledged the challenge the pandemic poses to front-line health-care workers.

"We have a problem with physical tiredness, quite frankly, and now as you start to see deaths within the facilities from those people who are frail and unwell beforehand, there's an emotional toll as well," he said.

Haggie pointed to increases in nursing and patient care assistant program enrolment as part of the solution for staffing issues. He also said he's in discussions with the regional health authorities to ensure that health-care workers get leave this summer.

On the brink

An infectious disease expert and a public health expert are calling on the government to reinstate some public health restrictions particularly masking.

Dr. Brenda Wilson, a St. John's public health physician and professor, said the high rate of COVID-19 among health-care workers is indicative of widespread transmission in the community.

If hospitalizations keep rising, she said, Public Health will have no choice but to reintroduce some public health restrictions, such as masking and gathering limits, in order to prevent hospitals from being overrun.

"The way that you would get health-care workers back to work is the way that you would get everybody or anybody back to work," she said. "You have to reduce transmission in the community."

Tara Moriarty, an associate professor and infectious disease researcher at the University of Toronto, said she believes the province and the country are on the brink of a new wave of COVID-19.

She said she'd like to see more communication from Public Health about the risk of infection in the community.

"We really need to work hard to ensure that as [many] people are as protected as possible and the simplest, most cost effective thing that can be done is explaining to people why masks are still essential," she said.

Moriarty said people should prepare for "marathon mode," and to continue to live with COVID-19.

"It's time that we get into more of a marathon mentality and do the best we can within certain limitations and accept that those are probably going to be there for another year or two," she said. "This doesn't mean that we can't do things in our lives."

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