About 1,900 fewer surgeries were completed per month in Manitoba during the first 16 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in comparison with 2019.
April 2020 saw the largest decrease, with about a 68 per cent decrease in total surgeries completed compared with the previous year.
This includes about 36 per cent fewer cardiac surgeries, 26 per cent fewer cancer surgeries and 82 per cent fewer high-volume surgeries such as hip and knee replacements.
The numbers were recently released by the Canadian Institute for Health Information. And as of Wednesday, it's estimated that the backlog of expected surgeries has surpassed 152,000 cases.
Officials have also said in recent days that more surgeries may be cancelled as the strain on hospitals in the province continues to increase.
