B.C. to reactivate COVID emergency operations centres to prepare for expected increase in illness

The British Columbia government will reopen 20 hospital emergency operations centres set up for COVID-19 to deal with an expected surge in flu, respiratory illness and COVID cases.

Health Minister Adrian Dix says they’ve been coping with an unprecedented increase in demand in the health care system.

Dix says reactivating the centres starting Monday will ensure people have continued access to hospital care and will allow for a co-ordinated response during periods of additional pressures on hospitals.

There are more than 10,000 patients in B.C.’s hospitals, which Dix says is a significant number, and the centres will help ensure there is space for those needing it in the coming weeks.

B.C. traditionally experiences an increase in hospitalizations in January as illnesses spread during the holiday period, and surgeries resume in the new year.

Dix says the centres will be in place for at least six weeks, and leadership teams will review hospital bed availability and identify solutions to ease emergency department congestion.