Montfort Hospital says approximately 5 per cent of procedures postponed due to COVID-19 cases

What makes some people immune to COVID-19? Researchers are trying to understand why some people naturally resist the virus.

The Montfort Hospital says about five per cent of planned procedures scheduled for Tuesday had to be postponed due to a staffing shortage caused by COVID-19.

In a statement to CTV News Ottawa, a spokesperson for the hospital says 79 employees are in isolation due to COVID-19, including almost 30 nurses.

"We have started to contact some patients to inform them that their non-emergency procedure has been postponed to a later date. Those who have not been contacted can come in for their appointment at the scheduled date and time, and we remind you that the hospital, including the emergency department, is operating as usual," the statement said.

"We don't know exactly how long we will have to postpone procedures; the situation is changing rapidly and we are reassessing the need to reduce activity every day, which depends very much on our staff returning to work in the next few weeks. Whenever possible, we prefer to inform people a few days in advance to avoid an unpleasant surprise on the morning of their appointment."

Last Thursday, the hospital said it had 89 staff members in isolation. Postponement of non-emergency surgeries and procedures began Tuesday.

Other hospitals have also reported a significant number of absences. Last week, the Ottawa Hospital bargaining president of the Ontario Nurses Association said 450 staff at the Ottawa Hospital and another 25 at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute were off. CHEO said it could be missing 10 to 15 per cent of its workforce on any given day.

--With files from CTV News Ottawa's Peter Szperling and Josh Pringle.