A previous version of this story stated surgeries would fully resume by June 24. In fact, the hospital will be at full surgical capacity by June 14.
The latest COVID-19 outbreak at Richmond Hospital is delaying the reintroduction of elective surgeries.
On April 22, B.C.’s Minister of Health Adrian Dix announced that non-urgent surgeries would be cancelled at nine Lower Mainland hospitals – including Richmond – due to a surge in the number of patients with COVID-19.
While the hospital was supposed to fully resume surgeries by next week, the ongoing outbreak means this won’t be possible.
According to VCH, Richmond Hospital will return to full surgical capacity by June 14.
The outbreak was declared on May 21 in the 4 North Acute Care for the Elderly Unit, which is now closed to new admissions and transfers.
“(The outbreak) has closed one unit and 20 inpatient beds,” said Dix at Thursday’s (June 3) COVID-19 press conference.
The outbreak, said Dix, limits the hospital’s ability to use all of its operating rooms.
A spokesperson for VCH explained that while Richmond Hospital plans to reopen all of its operating rooms by June 7, three of them will only be used for daycare surgeries, which don't require overnight stays, due to the outbreak.
To date, 11 patients have been infected and one person has died as a result of the hospital outbreak.
Since April 22, 309 patients have had their surgeries postponed at Richmond Hospital, according to Vancouver Coastal Health.
