Emergency rooms in Quebec are overflowing: Index Santé
As the holidays approach, emergency rooms in some Quebec regions have been overflowing for several days.
Index Santé, which provides regular updates on emergency room situations across Quebec, reports that on seven of the last 10 days, from December 11 to 20, the average occupancy rate has exceeded 100 per cent capacity.
Occupancy is normal Tuesday morning in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Bas-Saint-Laurent and Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine regions.
On the other hand, numbers in three other regions are above 140 per cent.
In Lanaudière, the Centre hospitalier régional de Lanaudière and Hôpital Pierre-Le-Gardeur have occupancies of 173 per cent and 167 per cent, respectively.
Five of the six hospitals in the Laurentians are in the red, with the Hôpital régional de Saint-Jérôme, Hôpital Laurentien and Hôpital de Saint-Eustache reporting occupancies ranging from 134 per cent to 172 per cent.
The average emergency department rate is 140 per cent in the Montérégie, including 184 per cent at Hôpital du Suroît, 173 per cent at Hôpital Honoré-Mercier and 171 per cent at Hôpital Pierre-Boucher.
In each of the latter two cases, 17 patients were on stretchers for at least 48 hours.
Among the 21 hospitals on the Island of Montreal, eight emergency rooms are over capacity.
The Fleury (133 per cent) and Sacré-Coeur (137 per cent) hospitals remain the busiest.
In Quebec City, the situation is most problematic at Hôpital Saint-François-d'Assise and Hôpital de l'Enfant-Jésus, where occupancy rates are 115 per cent and 110 per cent, respectively.
Elsewhere in Quebec, emergency room occupancy rates are high at Le Royer Hospital in Baie-Comeau (240 per cent), Centre-de-la-Mauricie Hospital (132 per cent) and Centre hospitalier Sainte-Croix in Drummondville (126 per cent).
On Monday, Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé stated that due to the rampant community transmission of the COVID-19 virus, he may need to consider certain measures to manage the situation in hospitals.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Dec. 21, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From essential goods to common stocking stuffers, Trudeau offering Canadians temporary tax relief
Canadians will soon receive a temporary tax break on several items, along with a one-time $250 rebate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
BREAKING Matt Gaetz drops bid for Trump attorney general in face of U.S. Senate opposition
Hardline Republican Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration as U.S. president-elect Donald Trump's attorney general, in the face of opposition from the Senate Republicans whose support he would have needed to win the job.
Mother charged after infant dies in midtown Toronto: police
The mother of an infant who died after being found at an apartment building in midtown Toronto on Wednesday has been charged with failing to provide the necessaries of life.
Here's a list of items that will be GST/HST-free over the holidays
Canadians won’t have to pay GST on a selection of items this holiday season, the prime minister vowed on Thursday.
Mounties issue Canada-wide warrant for semi-driver charged in deadly crash
Manitoba RCMP have issued a Canada-wide arrest warrant for the semi-driver involved in a crash that killed an eight-year-old girl and her mother.
2 arrested during Greenpeace protest outside Stornoway residence in Ottawa
Two people have been arrested following a protest outside Stornoway, the official residence of Canada's leader of the Opposition.
Arrest warrant issued for suspect charged in Toronto airport gold heist
Peel police say a bench warrant has been issued for the arrest of one of the suspects charged in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
'This is cold': P.E.I. mother upset over decision to remove late daughter's photos from school memorial wall
A high school on Prince Edward Island is removing pictures of its late students from a memorial wall – a decision that has upset one mother whose daughter attended the school.
Son of Norway crown princess detained for one week in rape probe
The son of Norway's crown princess will be jailed for up to one week while police investigate accusations of rape made against him, a judge ruled on Wednesday.