Internationally trained nurses are being used to help facilities in need of staffing support, Minister of Health Christine Elliott announced today.
The initiative is a collaboration with Ontario Health and the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO).
It will see the nurses deployed to hospitals and longterm care homes in need of staffing support.
Over 1,200 applicants have already expressed interest in participating, said Elliott in today's virtual update.
The program is for nurses who have applied for registration with the CNO. They'll have the chance to meet the application requirements by working in healthcare settings being supervised by a regulated provider, Elliott said.
The matching process with hospitals is expected to start later this week.
Updated reporting
Changes to the way hospitalizations are reported provincially will also change tomorrow.
Elliott said Jan. 12, the data will show hospitalizations due to COVID-19 versus those being admitted for other reasons.
Today, she said 54 per cent of hospital admissions are for COVID-related reasons and 46 people were admitted for other reasons but have tested positive.
With omicron, she said the length of ICU stays is also decreasing.
The median stay is now seven days, whereas it was 20 days at the peak of the delta variant wave.
