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From the outside, the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria looks like a business as usual.
Inside however, advocates say healthcare workers are overwhelmed.
“We already had overcapacity without COVID-19 and now we are even more understaffed and now we have these influxes of covid,” said Crystal Mundy, a healthcare advocate. “We don’t have the personal capacity, the human capacity to be in the script right now.”
For a year and a half so far through this pandemic, doctors and nurses have been strained. And now, with an influx of unvaccinated COVID-19 patients, they are running out of steam.
“We are close to the capacity in terms of designated COVID-19 intensive care area,” said Dr. David Forrest, infectious disease specialist at Nanaimo General Hospital.
“Ten out of 11 covid intensive care beds are currently occupied there. We have seen a continued increase in cases over the past few days. “
The patients in the island’s hospitals are no longer just islanders, however. Forrest says other hospitals in the province are under pressure, which means patients are being airlifted to British Columbia to get the care they need.
“Since I know we have been asked to accept patients from outside this health authority, I think the significant capacity issues that we are seeing here on the island are being duplicated throughout the province,” Forrest said.
Island Health has acknowledged seeing an increase in the number of patients in its hospitals’ intensive care units and has made some changes.
“In response to the increase in hospitalizations, we have created an inpatient unit for COVID + patients at Victoria General Hospital to help support the increased demand for patients requiring hospitalization, but who do not require care intensive, ”Island Health said in a statement.
“To meet additional intensive care needs beyond our basic capacity, we have put in place extra intensive care beds if they are needed.”
Meanwhile, online, doctors and nurses are reporting that the COVID-19 ward at Royal Jubilee Hospital is full, but many were unwilling to speak to CHEK News on camera.
“They are 100% afraid of being reprimanded by the administration. In the extreme, and it’s not a small number of them, they fear losing their jobs, ”Mundy said, when asked why healthcare workers were reluctant to speak to the media.
Meanwhile, doctors who speak out say current COVID policies in British Columbia need to change.
“I am very concerned about the ability of the health system as a whole to function optimally,” said Forrest.
“I think Minister Dix and the government recognized that was a possibility, which is why we were unable to offer assistance to Alberta. So I think planning is already underway on how to handle this. “
There has been no word on more health orders yet, so Forrest is using advocacy to reduce transmission and help health workers get through the next few months.
“Please get vaccinated,” Forrest said.
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