The Omicron variant, paired with a shortage of nurses due to burnout and Bill 124 (legislation which caps wage increases for nurses at one per cent – well below inflation), has created a dire situation in Ontario hospitals. RNAO member and ICU RN Birgit Umaigba said she and her colleagues are under intense pressure. Brampton General Hospital and Brampton Civic Hospital both declared a Code Orange on Jan. 4. Umaigba explained that this code, which is generally used for disaster scenarios, is being called for a severe nursing shortage. “This is a crisis that is going to take lives. People are going to die because of a nursing shortage,” said Umaigba. Patients are not getting the quality of care they deserve because there are simply not enough nurses, she said. “We can’t have nurses working 16 hours in a row. Nurses are being guilted into working 16 hours. These are people who have to go home to their loved ones, but they’re forced to stay at the bedside.” (CBC News, Jan. 4)