Quebec emergency rooms are starting to fill up again after the holidays

The entrance to the Glen site of the McGill University Health Centre on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in Montreal. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press)

After a slight lull around Christmas, the number of emergency patients in Quebec hospitals is on the rise again.

The stretcher occupancy rate fell below 100 per cent for a few days, but is now back above 120 per cent.

For the province as a whole, the stretcher occupancy rate stood at 121 per cent at around 10 a.m. on Monday, according to data provided on the Index Santé website. This rate has been rising since Christmas, when it was 87 per cent on Dec. 26, 99 per cent on Dec. 27, 103 per cent on Dec. 28, and 109 per cent on Dec. 29.

The stretcher occupancy rate was above 100 per cent on Monday morning in Chaudière-Appalaches, Laurentides and Lanaudière, Laval, Mauricie and Centre-du-Québec, Montérégie, Montreal and the Outaouais.

As for Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Bas-Saint-Laurent, Capitale-Nationale, Côte-Nord, Estrie, Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine and Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, the regional occupancy rate was still below 100 per cent, even though some emergency departments exceeded their capacity.

A rebound in occupancy in hospital emergency departments is a common occurrence after Christmas almost every year, since the gatherings that take place over the holidays lead to an increase in the circulation of viruses, among other things.

"On the 22nd, 23rd, 24th and 25th [of December], people try to stay with their families and [endure] their problems for a while," said Audrey-Anne Turcotte Brousseau, head of department for the CIUSSS de l'Estrie - CHUS, in a recent interview with The Canadian Press.

"What we're seeing afterwards is a resurgence in patient traffic, with patients sometimes delaying their consultation a little bit, trying to stretch it out so they don't have to spend Christmas in hospital. We see this type of patient between Christmas and New Year's Day," said the emergency physician at Fleurimont and Hôtel-Dieu hospitals.

The average occupancy rate in the province's emergency departments had not exceeded 115 per cent since mid-December. It even dipped below 90 per cent on several days in the second half of the month.

At the start of the holiday season, the Ministry of Health and Social Services reminded people of the importance of "protecting their health and that of their loved ones" by avoiding going to gatherings if they have flu-like symptoms, such as a fever.

Other options, such as pharmacies, 811 or medical clinics, should be used for non-urgent health problems.

"Go to the emergency department only for serious situations, for example, if you are suffering from chest pains, breathing difficulties or have serious injuries," the ministry said in a press release.

The circulation of respiratory viruses, in particular the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the seasonal flu, and COVID-19, has been on the increase recently, according to the ministry.

With files from Katrine Desautels