Hospital emergency departments in several Quebec regions are already operating beyond capacity, even though the province has not yet reached the peak of the flu season.
Pressure is being felt most acutely in Greater Montreal, Centre-du-Québec and the Capitale-Nationale, where officials say patient volumes are higher than what is typically seen at this point in the season. Health authorities note influenza activity began earlier than usual this year, adding to the strain.
Nearly one in five patients currently leaves an emergency department without being seen by a physician, according to provincial data.
The Quebec Public Health Laboratory reported roughly 3,500 confirmed influenza cases last week. To date, 26 per cent of tests conducted in the general population for influenza A, primarily the H3N2 strain, have returned positive results.
Public health officials say transmission is particularly high among children aged five to 17. They note that many parents are bringing children with flu-like symptoms to emergency rooms rather than seeking care from family doctors or allowing time for recovery at home.
Emergency room occupancy rate (Monday morning)
Greater Montreal
- Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM): 131 per cent
- McGill University Health Centre (MUHC): 191 per cent
- Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital: 135 per cent
- Jewish General Hospital: 191 per cent
- Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur-de-Montréal: 161 per cent
- University Hospital Sainte-Justine: 125 per cent
- Charles-Le Moyne Hospital (Longueuil): 105 per cent
- Hôpital de la Cité-de-la-Santé (Laval): 133 per cent
- Saint-Jérôme Hospital: 189 per cent
- Suroît Hospital: 175 per cent
Elsewhere in Quebec
- Saint-Georges Hospital: 162 per cent
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