‘More admissions, more emergency visits, and more outbreaks’: LHSC feeling the effects of busy influenza season

The flu’s early and aggressive start was the main talking point of LHSC’s final community update meeting of 2025. Bryan Bicknell reports.

Longer wait times in emergency departments and delayed transfers to inpatient units.

Officials at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) say that’s the toll an early and robust flu season is having on patient care.

They made the comments Wednesday during the hospital’s monthly community update and the following media scrum.

According to LHSC, there were 163 positive influenza cases in the most recent weekly data available, compared to seven at the same time last year.

Dr. Christie MacDonald, interim vice chair of LHSC’s Medical Advisory Committee, shared that the impact is being felt across the system.

“Hospital activity is rising, with more admissions, more emergency visits, and more outbreaks, which puts pressure on our inpatient wards, our intensive care units, and on our staff. This is resulting in longer than usual wait times within our EDs [emergency departments], and transfers to inpatient units,” said MacDonald.

The situation is the same across the province.

According to the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA), for the week of Dec. 12, the daily number of confirmed patients with the flu is up 150 per cent. Hospital admissions are up by 84 per cent, and the number of new admissions to the ICU increased by 127 per cent.

The OHA says influenza-A positivity is higher now than any of the last three seasons, and across all age groups.

“I think hospitals are preparing as best they can for what is no doubt going to be a busy December,” said VP of Policy and Advocacy Melissa Prokopy. “The real challenge is the kind of impact on things like alternate level of care. So, patients waiting for an alternative discharge destination, when we bring people in, new admits, higher volumes.”

Meanwhile, vaccination rates in the London region are down, according to Deborah Wiseman, LHSC’s VP of emergency services and critical care.

“We do recognize that they are down comparatively to last year, and possibly that might be related to some of the communications that have gone out. We strongly encourage people to get the vaccinations, as they can,” said Wiseman.

The majority of cases are caused by the influenza-A variant, which is slightly different than this year’s vaccine. MacDonald stresses the vaccine is still effective.

“For children and teens, the vaccine provides about 72 to 75 per cent protection against hospital visits. And for adults, protection is about 32 to 39 per cent, helping lower the risk of severe illness. The vaccine also protects well against H1N1, and influenza-B, which are circulating right now,” MacDonald said.

LHSC officials expect influenza to peak just before the end of the year.

On the flip side of the respiratory situation, COVID-19 cases are down significantly this year. The hospital reports 15 positive COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, compared with 67 the same week last year - a reduction of nearly 80 per cent.