BC’s Health Minister says while there are nearly 4,000 acute care beds available in hospitals should the COVID-19 pandemic worsen, he understands the impact it has on people who’ve had surgeries postponed.

Adrian Dix says it was one of the hardest decisions to make, noting that these surgeries are still necessary.

“We’re talking about the cancellation of thousands of scheduled surgeries which will tell you how seriously we take the situation, how seriously we take the need to be prepared, and how difficult these decisions are, not just for hospitals and for doctors and for nurses who are not doing the work they’ve done to people who were waiting for surgery,” he said on Thursday.

Dix though noted that some urgent elective surgeries – especially those that are cancer related – are still going ahead.

“Once we get through this, and its going to take a while, we’re preparing hoping for that day that will come when we’ll be able to restore those surgeries and get back to work,” he added

The minister however did not specify if people who have had surgeries postponed will have to wait in line again for their surgery once things subside, or if they’ll be given priority.

So far, of the 725 cases of COVID-19 in B.C., 66 are in hospital with 26 patients are in critical care. Prior to the COVID-19 response, Dix says the province averaged 103.5 per cent capacity in the acute care system.