Montreal hospitals over capacity as flu season begins in earnest

Revelers are all set to mingle on New Year’s Eve but the fun times are a perfect storm for the spread of the flu virus warn medical professionals.

Doctors anticipate overcrowding at several Montreal-area hospitals as the bug spreads, at a time of year when many facilities are at or over capacity.

Officials said Ste-Justine’s Hospital is currently at 94 per cent of capacity while the Montreal Children’s Hospital is at 92 per cent. ERs are no better as the Lakeshore ER is operating at 194 per cent capacity, the Jewish General at 189 per cent and the Royal Victoria at 145 per cent.

Tamara Gafoor, a doctor at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, advised parents to take advantage of other resources before bringing their children to hospital.

“They can go to their family doctor or pediatrician,” she said. “811 is a great resource with nurses who can give advice to the families as well as to tell them who they can consult and (whether they should) go to the emergency room.”

The Children’s and Ste-Justine’s have issued some guidelines for parents trying to determine if an ER visit is needed.

• If there’s trouble breathing, the child is pale, breathing faster than normal, has blue lips or is choking.
• If the child is hurt and vomiting.
• If the child is feeling feverish and drowsy or is having trouble waking.

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