January 20, 2022
Health Care System Besieged by COVID-19: Health Coalition demands Ford answer for lack of action
Toronto – There are more than 4,000 patients with COVID-19 in Ontario’s hospitals, an all time high for this pandemic.
Staffing levels across hospitals, long-term care and home care are catastrophic. Yet there is still no response from the
Ford government except to talk about lifting public health measures.
There are 594 patients fighting for their lives in ICUs due to COVID-19. Yesterday, 75 Ontarians – 3 per hour – died as
a result of COVID-19. Public Health reports that 59 people died the day before. The day before that? 37.
There are currently 970 outbreaks in hospitals, long-term care homes and retirement homes, also an all time high for
this pandemic, and that number is also going up.
“We are in a far worse place in health care than we were last year at this time,” noted Natalie Mehra, executive
director of the Ontario Health Coalition. “Yet the messaging from the Ford government appears to be driven by self-serving politics. This pandemic will end. But right now, we are in a health system catastrophe, and this government has
done virtually nothing to help get care to patients in need. We need accountability. We need answers. We need
leadership in the public interest — not electioneering — right now.”
The Coalition, along with organizations representing more than a million Ontarians on the front lines of the health care
crisis, forged a list of concrete measures that would make a difference in the health care staffing emergency and
released it last Friday. To date, the Ford government has not responded and has not acted on them.
Briefing Note
COVID-19 outbreaks in health care this week compared to the same week last year:
Daily COVID-19 Outbreaks in Ontario: 2021 vs. 2022 (# of ongoing outbreaks – 1 week period)
This week last year: Same period this year:
Long-Term Care Homes Long-Term Care Homes
• January 11, 2021: 261 • January 11, 2022: 389
• January 12, 2021: 267 • January 12, 2022: 400
• January 13, 2021: 259 • January 13, 2022: 411
• January 14, 2021: 250 • January 14, 2022: 417
• January 15, 2021: 250 • January 15, 2022: 424
• January 16, 2021: 252 • January 16, 2022: 426
• January 17, 2021: 252 • January 17, 2022: 421
• January 18, 2021: 259 • January 18, 2022: 422
Hospitals Hospitals
• January 11, 2021: 84 • January 11, 2022: 204
• January 12, 2021: 85 • January 12, 2022: 210
• January 13, 2021: 89 • January 13, 2022: 217
• January 14, 2021: 93 • January 14, 2022: 222
• January 15, 2021: 92 • January 15, 2022: 231
• January 16, 2021: 89 • January 16, 2022: 236
• January 17, 2021: 88 • January 17, 2022: 239
• January 18, 2021: 88 • January 18, 2022: 241
Retirement Homes Retirement Homes
• January 11, 2021: 162 • January 11, 2022: 268
• January 12, 2021: 164 • January 12, 2022: 282
• January 13, 2021: 163 • January 13, 2022: 298
• January 14, 2021: 163 • January 14, 2022: 305
• January 15, 2021: 168 • January 15, 2022: 319
• January 16, 2021: 171 • January 16, 2022: 317
• January 17, 2021: 171 • January 17, 2022: 318
• January 18, 2021: 171 • January 18, 2022: 318
15 Gervais Drive, Suite 201, Toronto, Ontario M3C 1Y8 Tel: 416-441-2502 Email: ohc@sympatico.ca Web: www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca
Ontario Health Coalition