Whitehorse hospital capacity partly affected by COVID-19 impact on staff, says Yukon top doc

The hospital in Whitehorse has limited to full capacity due in part to COVID-19affecting staff there, says Dr. Catherine Elliott, the acting chief medical officer of health.

As of Thursday, the territory's COVID-19 website, which now includes a link to Yukon hospital bed availability, showed the capacity in Whitehorsecoded red, meaning space is either extremely limited or the hospital is full. Elliott said at the moment there isonly one patient admitted for COVID-19.

Capacity in the Whitehorse intensive care unit, along with Dawson City and Watson Lake, were all coded green, meaning space is available.

"At this point, the hospital status is not in red due to COVID-19 [patients]," Elliott said about Whitehorse.

Instead she said there are a number of reasons, including a possible influx of people who may have delayed going to hospital throughthe pandemic and are now seeking treatment of other conditions.

It's also that healthcare workers are being affected by COVID-19, Elliott said.

"The fact that healthcare workers are tired and many of them, of course, are contracting COVID-19 at this time or isolating due to having family members or having somebody who they're caring for or themselves being exposed," Elliott said.

"This [red status] is not, as you can see, with one patient in the hospital. This is not a reflection of the hospital. This is actually a reflection of the spread of COVID-19 in our community and how it impacts our healthcare workforce."

Elliott made the comments during a Thursday morning COVID-19 update, alongside Dr. Katharine Smart, a Yukon pediatrician and president of the Canadian Medical Association.

Outbreaks at Whitehorse's continuing care facilities arealso a factor, saida spokesperson from Whitehorse General Hospitalin an email to CBC Wednesday.

"Fortunately, over the last couple of weeks, the number has remained very low. We have ranged from zero to two admissions due to COVID," the email reads in part.

However, it says bed availability is "very limited" at the hospital's inpatient units as there are a number of patients who no longer require hospital care and are waiting for a space in continuing care.

It says outbreaks atcontinuing care facilities there are several active cases at both Whistle Bend Place and Copper Ridge Place in Whitehorse has temporarily delayed some transitions from hospital to continuing care.

It added that "the hospital and its partners are actively working to address the situation."

Elliott said right now,there are nine residents in Whistle Bend Place who are infected and three people in Copper Ridge Place. She said they are being monitored closely, and getting any medical attention that's necessary.

Children aged five to 11 can get their second doses of COVID-19 vaccine if it's been eight weeks since their first. Elliott said thirddoses of the COVID-19 vaccine arenow recommended for children in that age group who are moderately to severely immunocompromised.

According to the government's website, about 57per cent of Yukon children aged five to 11 hadreceived their first dose of vaccine as of Wednesday.

Earlier this week, officials announced that staff and children of child care and early learning programs in Yukon wouldno longer need to report positive COVID-19 cases as ofWednesday.

It's a similar move to the direction Yukon schools took earlier this month, whereparents, students andstaff no longer need to inform schoolsif they tested positive for COVID-19. Instead,schools only needto know of anabsencedue to illness.

The Yukon Communicable Disease Control will now monitorfor above averagenumbers of absences due to reported illness at schools and early learning and child care programs.

The Yukon government saidTuesday that itbegan rolling out2,800 rapid tests to schools and licensed early learning and childcareprograms inrural communities and that the distribution process is still ongoing. That's on top of the10,875 rapid tests it had already planned tosendto rural communities across the territory.

As of Thursday, Yukon had 209known active cases, thoughthe true number is likely higher asrapid test results are notincluded in this count, and health officials havetold Yukoners to assume they have COVID-19 if they have symptoms and to skip PCR testing,with someexceptions.