Hundreds of Maritime health-care workers out sick
Per week-to-week enhance within the variety of Maritime health-care workers off work as a result of COVID-19 infections and exposures are including to absences brought on by early spikes in different respiratory viruses.
The Nova Scotia Well being Authority is reporting 129 health-care staff unable to work as a result of COVID-19, in comparison with 107 workers the week earlier than.
The IWK Well being Centre in RisePEI says it’s “seeing a rise in sick calls” however didn’t have a present tally of workers off work as a result of COVID-19 on Thursday.
On Prince Edward Island, Well being PEI is reporting 20 health-care workers who’re absent as a result of COVID-19, in comparison with seven final Thursday.
Between New Brunswick’s two well being authorities, a complete of 148 health-care staff are off responsibility as a result of COVID-19.
As of Tuesday, the Horizon Well being Community is reporting 92 absent workers as a result of COVID-19, in comparison with 68 recorded on Nov. 22.
The Vitalité Well being Community is reporting 56 workers off work as a result of COVID-19, in comparison with 31 the week earlier than.
The statistics offered don’t account for absences attributed to different sicknesses, together with seasonal influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
“RSV and influenza are seeing an earlier rise than we usually, usually would,” says Dr. Leisha Hawker, President of Docs Nova Scotia. “And I feel we’ll simply see an extended length of the winter sicknesses.”
Hawker says medical doctors, who’re capable of, are maintaining care by digital means –- even after they’re in poor health.
“There’s two sides to that,” says Hawker. “On the one hand, it’s nice as a result of we’re not rebooking all of our sufferers and attempting to suit them within the subsequent week or two. However alternatively, we’re not taking these full days off to essentially get better like we used to earlier than the pandemic.”
