Hospitals in Quebec are bracing for a surge of severely ill COVID-19 patients over the next month, in what many hope is the virus's last gasp. In Laval, the average age of COVID-19 patients in the ICU is about 60, said Bolduc-Dionne. (CHU-de-Quebec-Université Laval)He too has noticed younger patients than in the first wave, which speaks to community spread. In COVID-19 patients, carbon dioxide can build up because of the virus's tendency to cause blood clots in the lungs, said Goldberg. The survival rate for COVID-19 patients on the ECMO is about 50 per cent, said Goldberg.

Source: CBC News April 17, 2021 07:52 UTC