The load shedding will increase in hospitals in Quebec, anticipates the National Institute of Excellence in Health and Social Services (INESSS), under new projections released Thursday. From 1,600 to 2,100 regular beds could be occupied by patients with COVID-19 in the coming weeks.
Currently, hospitals in the province are at level 3 of the load shedding plan, out of a maximum of 4. The two scenarios published by INESSS, however, anticipate that level 3 will eventually be “exceeded”.
According to the first INESSS model, within three weeks, “the occupation of regular beds for COVID patients could reach around 1,600 beds”, exceeding level 3. With regard to intensive care, nearly 300 beds could be occupied, which would approach the third level.
The second scenario is darker. Within three weeks, 2,100 regular beds and 375 intensive care beds would be occupied by patients with COVID-19. These figures would exceed the thresholds reached in previous waves of COVID-19, and would go beyond the third level of shedding.