London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) said they are currently seeing an overwhelming influx of young patients. “We would normally see 100 to 110 patients a day, that's what our capacity is built for, that's what our staffing is built for. Then two days ago we had 200 patients,” said Dr. Rod Lim, director of the pediatric emergency department at LHSC. Since October, the children’s emergency department has warned of up to six hours or more in wait times. Lim said it’s the perfect storm between seeing an increase in viral activity sooner than normal, an overwhelming amount of cases in RSV, influenza and COVID-19, and being short on staff. “In our department, like a lot of industries, we are working short staffed. It's like out of the movies we are working as hard as we can, as creatively as we can,” said Lim. He adds, his staff has resorted to treating some patients in hallways and waiting room chairs. Lim encourages the public to seek alternate professional medical attention like family doctors or walk-in clinics. If you do plan on attending the emergency department, the hospital suggests bringing water and snacks, a phone charger and a book.
