OTTAWA -- CHEO is concerned that children and youth arriving in the emergency department are “sicker than is expected normally” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hospitals across Ottawa have seen a dramatic decrease in the number of patients visiting emergency departments due to the pandemic.
Last week, Champlain Health Region Incident Commander Dr. Andrew Willmore admitted some people were avoiding a trip to the emergency department because they were afraid of contracting novel coronavirus.
In a statement on Tuesday from Ottawa’s medical chiefs of staff, all hospitals urge people to “continue to come to hospital if you have a serious health concern” during the pandemic.
“We appreciate that the public is taking the recommendations to stay home so seriously, but it should not come at the cost of your health or safety.”
CHEO is reporting a 70 per cent drop in new cases of diabetes in the last 30 days.
“And those children and youth who have gone to the emergency department are sicker than is expected normally,” said the statement.
CHEO says it “unfortunately” continues to see new cases of childhood cancer, “some of these children and youth are only coming in to be seen after the symptoms have been around for longer than they would usually see.”
Meantime, the Ottawa Hospital is reminding the public not to ignore the symptoms of a stroke at first onset.
“Time is of the essence when treating any condition, especially a stroke. It’s important to seek medical attention immediately if you think you might be experiencing a stroke.”
