Critical care doctors give a clearer picture of Manitoba fourth wave hospitalizations

WINNIPEG -

Two critical care doctors are providing a clearer picture of hospitalizations in Manitoba during the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying unvaccinated individuals have a 25 times greater chance of being hospitalized.

The doctors noted that those who are unvaccinated also have a 15 times greater chance of dying from COVID-19.

“The unvaccinated population are generating a lot of hospital bed and ICU use right now,” said Dr. Dan Roberts in an interview on Tuesday.

He said the simplest way to reduce the burden on the health-care system is to get vaccinated.

Dr. Eric Jacobsohn said they are seeing all ages in the hospitals, but predominantly the 40 to 65-year-old age group.

He said this is “significantly different from the first few waves of COVID.”

The doctors said they anticipate that vaccinating children will help with the strain on ICUs. However, they noted, they expect vaccination rates will be low among children in communities where the parents are not vaccinated.

- With files from CTV’s Jill Macyshon.