How Manitoba is preparing hospitals for the loosening of restrictions

With the Manitoba government’s plans to remove all public health orders by March 15, questions remain about what this means for hospitals and the health-care system.

As of Friday, there were 656 Manitobans with COVID-19 in the hospital, as well as 41 in the ICU.

According to Health Minister Audrey Gordon, officials have been working with health-system leadership and public health to create a plan for a potential surge in hospitalizations, as well as a plan for helping the health-care system recover.

“Looking at the recovery of our health system - returning staff to their programs and areas where they were redeployed from,” she said at a news conference on Friday.

“Looking at restarting some of our surgeries. We certainly see staff sick time being reduced. So our system will look different. That is our hope and our desire.”

The minister noted plans are underway to ensure the health-care system is prepared for the changes to public health orders.

She said this involves talking to leadership about what staff will need, adding that she wants the health-care system and frontline workers to know they won’t be abandoned.

“We are going to continue daily to have discussions with leadership, with you, and all our partners to ensure that you are ready for the changes that are being made with the restrictions being loosened,” she said.

As for what is giving the province confidence to loosen restrictions, Gordon said it has to do with Manitobans stepping up and getting vaccinated, as well as improvements to the situation in the hospitals.

“We’ve seen the decreases in our admissions. We see decreases in [the] ICU,” she said.

“We’re also seeing the length of stay for individuals that are entering our ICUs decreasing as well. So it’s time to work with our health system to ensure that they can respond to the changes we’re making in the restrictions.”