Emergency and operating rooms across the country were historically empty during the first months of the pandemic, according to national data compiled by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). Between March and June, Ontario reported seeing about half the usual number of ER patients on 19 days. Dramatic drop in ER visits for childrenAlthough Canadians over 65 were the ones told to be more cautious in early months, the biggest drop in ER attendance was actually recorded for newborns, children and teenagers. Decrease in ER wait timesAccording to Dankoff, Canada's all-time low in ER attendance had a silver lining for hospital personnel and some patients. That number is an estimate that will likely rise sharply in coming months, as Quebec has yet to release its own data on surgeries.

Source: CBC News November 19, 2020 19:52 UTC