WINNIPEG - Hospitals in Winnipeg are boosting their medical staff and taking other steps to deal with a big increase in emergency department visits and admissions due to influenza-like illnesses.
The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority says hospitals recorded more than 900 ER visits in a single day on the weekend, while the average is 700 to 750 a day.
The authority says only 10 to 12 per cent of people who come to an ER are admitted to hospital, but the severity of the illness in people showing up in the last few days has pushed the admission rate to more than 20 per cent.
Besides more medical staff, the WRHA is increasing homecare and sending patients from outside Winnipeg back to their own health regions to help free up bed space.
Other measures include transferring patients waiting in hospital for a personal-care home of their choice to the first available home that meets their needs.
The authority says based on the most available flu surveillance data, influenza activity within the Winnipeg health region has increased significantly.
