Ontario's Health Minister Sylvia Jones defended her government's handling of the healthcare system on Thursday as hospitals across the province reported being overwhelmed by a wave of sick children.

Jones said when CP24 asked her what she would say to parents waiting for hours in crowded emergency departments to have their sick children seen: "You have a government that recently approved even up to four months a budget increase of $5 billion in the healthcare budget alone, we are making these investments and will continue to do so and I want to reassure parents, when your children need healthcare in Ontario, you get it and will continue to get it."

Also in her remarks to reporters at a hospital funding announcement, she said the province recently increased pediatric ICU capacity by 30 percent. However, she could not give a number when asked about how many children are currently in ICU in Ontario, saying the number “keeps moving back and forth.”

At this time last week, Ontario’s daily critical care service census showed there were more children in ICU in the province than pediatric ICU beds.

Jones also said she has coordinated with her federal counterpart to ensure more painkillers for children arrive in the country, but added that primary care doctors need to do more to ensure children don’t go to emergency departments.

Likewise, pediatric ICUs across the province have reported being overwhelmed in recent months as an early wave of influenza and RSV viruses infected children. While it is not exactly clear why the wave of illness is among children, over-capacity hospitals have had to transfer some children to other cities for treatment and convert spaces to provide additional capacity.

Earlier this week, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore urged people to wear masks indoors, especially around young children if you have mild symptoms of illness. Local and regional health authorities, including Toronto’s Chief Medical Officer, also urged people to get flu vaccines and COVID-19 boosters to help reduce the spread of infection.

The wave of infections among children has been exacerbated by a shortage of children’s pain medications, a problem the federal government said this week it is trying to solve by importing more products, although it has lacked details so far.