Ontario doctors have reportedly been taking part in virtual training sessions on the province’s worst case scenario COVID-19 emergency triage protocol.

The triage protocol would employ a series of metrics to score incoming patients on their likelihood of survival in 12 months.

A published report says doctors are using role play to practice telling families their loved ones are ineligible for life support.

If the COVID caseload grows too large, the protocol would reserve scarce ICU beds for those deemed most likely to survive.

(A respiratory therapist and six nurses prone a patient inside the intensive care unit of Humber River Hospital in Toronto on April 19, 2021)

As of Sunday, 851 COVID patients were in intensive care in Ontario hospitals.

Modelling from the province’s COVID-19 Science Advisory table predicted a peak of at least 1500 virus cases in ICUs by the first week of May and possibly as many as 2000. That’s the number of ICU beds Ontario has in total.