Montreal doctors are saying the flu season is hitting its peak, and that could mean a few weeks' worth of overcrowded hospital emergency rooms.
As of Tuesday morning, most hospital ERs in the city are operating at well over their capacity — among MUHC hospitals, all but the Montreal Children's are over capacity. The Royal Victoria Hospital's emergency room is now operating at 148 per cent capacity.
The ER at the Jewish General is running at 117 per cent capacity, while the one at nearby St. Mary's hospital is at 91 per cent.
The Lakeshore General's emergency room is running at 148 per cent, while the Verdun hospital is by far the worst, with 55 patients for an ER with 26 beds — 212 per cent.
Many of those heading to the ERs are said to be suffering from flu-like symptoms.
Once again, doctors are urging patients not to head for the ER at the first signs of a cold or flu. They're also warning parents not to take their kids to the ER unless their condition persists for a few days.
“Look at the general condition of your child. If you're very concerned, you bring him in, we'll assess him and we'll see if there's anything serious. Otherwise you can probably stay at home and just observe him a bit more, but if the symptoms of a fever persist more than three to five days, the child should be seen,” said Dominic Chalut, an ER doctor at the Children's.
In many cases, common cold and flu medicines and lots of hydration and chicken soup can help alleviate flu symptoms, but it could take a few days before the fever completely breaks.
Concerned parents can always phone the 8-1-1 hotline to speak to a nurse, or visit a walk-in clinic or a superclinic.