Rising cases of COVID-19 and seasonal flu are flooding Quebec hospitals, and Dr Christopher Labos is advising the province to take action before it’s too late.
Quebec’s emergency departments are 97% full across the province and many are already overcapacity: Laval has 104% capacity and Monterey and Montreal have 111%.
“Emergency departments are working at high capacity at the best of times – you’re dropping COVID and dropping a growing number of flu cases, it doesn’t take much to expand capacity,” said Labos, a cardiologist with an epidemiology degree.
The surge in hospital visits comes when Quebec enters the sixth wave of COVID-19, a month after most health measures were eased.
On Friday, Health Minister Christian Dubet said 13,000 health workers were out of action due to the virus and expected difficult weeks ahead.
Labos warns that restrictions may be needed if this trend continues.
“As the situation worsens, [we] we need to do more to fight it. Because if we do nothing and let hospitalizations and intensive care cases increase, it will eventually create a situation where we can’t handle other things and we have to start canceling surgeries and other medical services, as we did before.
But after two years of pandemic restrictions, most people do not want to be re-imposed – and the government seems to feel the same way.
The health minister called on Quebec residents to be careful before the holiday rallies, but did not specify any health measures ahead.
“I think people need to be aware that there is a risk, and when there is a risk, sometimes it’s better […] “Wait a few weeks to see the people,” Dub said.
Meanwhile, the Centers for Health and Social Services (CIUSSS) have asked the population to limit emergency visits as much as possible.
“When should we go to the emergency department?” “Only if your health requires immediate care,” said a statement on their Facebook page.
But as many gather over the Easter weekend, Labos says he will monitor COVID-19 numbers in the coming days, preparing for the domino effect in hospitals.
“This has a whole chain reaction and we need to realize that it is not good for healthcare to work at full or over capacity, and it is not the best way to provide quality care.”
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