Officials from hospitals in the Montreal area are warning people to avoid going to emergency rooms, unless absolutely necessary.
Out of the 17 hospitals on the island, 13 are operating at more than 100 per cent capacity.
The ER at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital in Montreal's east end has space for 54 patients. On Monday, staff were trying to manage more than 80 people.
That means they are operating at about 150 per cent capacity, and that's not even the longest wait on the island.
St. Mary's Hospital in Montreal's Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough has the busiest ER -- it was running at 213 per cent capacity Monday.
The Lakeshore Hospital in the West Island is also almost at 200 per cent capacity.
Officials from Maisonneuve-Rosemont and St. Mary's said they noticed a spike in patients coming to the ER in the last week, but they're not sure exactly why.
They are advising people looking for medical attention to visit their family doctor, if they have one, to visit a clinic or CLSC, or to speak to a health-care professional by calling Quebec's Info-Santé hotline at 8-1-1.
That person can determine whether or not medical situations are emergencies, and if they require immediate medical attention.
Anyone can access the province's daily ER statistics, they are published online.
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