Staff from the Canadian Red Cross are expected to arrive this week to support one of Ontario's largest pediatric hospitals stretched by what it calls the unprecedented surge in admissions related to viral infections.

The Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, in Ottawa, says the small contingent of Red Cross personnel will support clinical teams, allowing some of the hospital's redeployed staff to go back to their regular roles.

The hospital has recently redeployed staff and cancelled surgeries to help backstop its overburdened critical care unit and emergency department.

The hospital's chief nursing executive says the three-pronged combination of the seasonal flu, respiratory syncytial virus and COVID-19 has forced CHEO to take drastic measures.