New records are being reached nearly every day when it comes to Ontario's healthcare system capacity, and things may only get worse in the weeks ahead.
Dr. Michael Warner, the medical director of critical care at Michael Garron Hospital, tells the Globe and Mail that his hospital has already started to see an increase in COVID-19 patients linked to holiday gatherings.
"What we have now is people with privilege who think that they are somehow different, and rationalize to themselves that it's okay that they get together over the holidays with one, two, four, five people because they deserve it," he told the Globe. "What has happened is now those people are getting COVID-19."
In a statement to the Globe, president and CEO of the Ontario Hospital Association, Anthony Dale, says it will be weeks before we see the full impact of out-of-control community spread from the holiday season in our hospitals.
He says with healthcare workers having fought this battle for nearly a year, their fear is the rates of hospitalizations will continue on the trend they're on, and January and February will be unprecedented.
According to the CDC, a COVID-19 patient who is hospitalized will stay there for an average of 10 to 13 days.