Ottawa nurse Rachel Muir, who also heads the local bargaining unit of the Ontario Nurses Association (ONA), says this is "worse than a crisis." There are 100 people off the job at The Ottawa Hospital because they have tested positive for the virus and more than 80 more at the Queensway Carleton Hospital (QCH). Even staff who test negative after exposure to COVID take extra precautions, such as "work self-isolation," explained Rebecca Abelson, spokesperson for The Ottawa Hospital. She said there are 4,300 registered nurses at The Ottawa Hospital but the network is short 200 staff just to meet regular levels of need. Muir said she doesn't think this will help because Ottawa hospitals don't even have the staff to perform the procedures that are being postponed.

Source: CBC News January 06, 2022 16:39 UTC