Quebec emergency rooms overcrowded as strike impact is felt and respiratory viruses circulate
Posted November 23, 2023 11:43 am.
Last Updated November 23, 2023 12:40 pm.
Respiratory viruses circulating in the community, coupled with the ongoing public sector strike, is adding more stress to Quebec’s emergency rooms.
ERs across the province saw an average occupancy rate of between 100 and 125 per cent over the past week.
During the strike, essential healthcare services are maintained, but hospitals are still short staffed. And with children impacted by the teacher strikes and parents home – staffing levels are even lower.
The return of the cold weather has also meant an influx of respiratory viruses.
Nearly 112,000 people a day are contracting respiratory infections, according to weekly surveys conducted by the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ). COVID-19, the flu, and RSV are all circulating.
Quebecers are being asked to avoid emergency rooms if their situation doesn’t require immediate care.
The second strike the inter-union common front group started Tuesday and will end Thursday. The common front brings together some 420,000 workers from four unions (CSN, CSQ, FTQ and APTS). The health, social services and education sectors are all affected.
The Fédération Interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec (FIQ) union, representing nurses and other healthcare workers across Quebec, are also on strike Thursday and Friday.
