On Friday morning, Santé Québec shared figures showing a stark difference between Montreal and the rest of the province in terms of emergency room occupancy rates.
The Crown also reported an increase in flu cases.
Robin Marie Coleman, associate vice-president of access coordination and care pathways at Santé Québec, revealed that occupancy rates in Quebec between January 7 and 20 remained stable compared to previous years.
This was not the case in Montreal.
“The situation in Montreal has deteriorated year after year, from 135 per cent in 2023-24 to 142 per cent this year,” he said.
The Quebec City and Chaudière-Appalaches regions are below the provincial average, meaning they are doing better than others in terms of occupancy rate and average length of stay.
Véronique Wilson, general manager of network coordination and operational support at Santé Québec, shared that there has been an increase of more than 600 visits to Quebec emergency rooms per day compared to the same period last year.
According to her, this increase is most notable in Montreal, with an increase of more than nine per cent.
He explained that the needs and complexities of Montreal patients could explain this increase in hospital visits.
“Consumers who come to the ER tend to be sicker and older, and have complex needs,” Wilson said.
He added that specialized hospitals in Montreal, such as CHUM, Jewish General Hospital and Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, frequently care for patients who don’t live in the city, with more than 30 per cent coming from outside the island.
SEE | What is Santé Québec?:
The flu does not subside
Dr. Luc Boileau, Quebec’s public health director, said flu cases are increasing in Quebec and will likely continue to increase, reaching a peak in early February.
At that time, they are expected to slowly decline.
“This is not over yet,” he said. “We must anticipate that the season will continue.”
Boileau stressed the importance of vaccination and added that the flu can cause death in some cases. He noted that older people are at risk of contracting the disease.
According to him, VRS is also increasing, which he does not find surprising. Cases of the disease should also decline soon.
COVID-19 cases, for their part, have been decreasing in recent weeks.
“At the moment, things are going in the right direction,” Boileau said. “We have known worse in previous years.”