Quebec Is Putting Hospital Beds In Hotels & Banquet Halls Because We're Near Overcapacity

The health minister named 10 hospitals where the situation is most dire.

In a press conference on December 18, Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé warned the population that the COVID-19 situation in Quebec hospitals is "very critical."

Hospitals in Quebec reached a "cap" of 1,000 COVID-19 patients in-hospital, Dubé said.

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Every person can contribute to lowering the pressure on our health care network.

Christian Dubé, Quebec Health Minister

The health minister said the province has a capacity of 2,164 hospital beds dedicated to COVID-19 patients, including the beds in intensive care units (ICUs).

If this continues, he said we'll go over patient capacity.

Dubé outlined 10 Quebec hospitals at risk of overcapacity for COVID-19 patients. Two are on the island of Montreal and one is in Longueuil:

Lakeshore Hospital - Pointe-Claire
Verdun Hospital - Verdun
Pierre Boucher Hospital - Longueuil
Anna-Laberge Hospital - Chateauguay
CIUSSS MCQ - Trois Rivières
L'Enfant Jesus Hospital - Quebec City
Chicoutimi Hospital - Lac-Saint-Jean
Hull Hospital - Gatineau
University Institute of Cardiology and Respirology of Quebec (IUCPQ) - Quebec City
CHU De Sherbrooke - Sherbrooke

Hours earlier, the Ministry of Health and Social Services had published a press release stating that hospital beds in Quebec were projected to be sufficient for the next month.

However, Dubé said the province has started preparing hospital beds for COVID-19 patients in "non-traditional" locations to brace itself for overcapacity.

"We installed beds at Hôtel Le Concorde [in Quebec City] [and] we'll even be obligated to use hotel banquet halls [for beds]," he said.

The minister advised Quebecers to only visit hospitals if absolutely necessary and to opt for a family doctor for non-COVID health issues.

Quebecers who don't have a family doctor can dial 1-877-644-4545 to be directed to an appropriate health resource. Or, they can dial 811 to be connected to an Info-Santé Nurse.