Concern in Canada over saturation of hospitals and health services

Toronto (Canada), January 10 (EFE).- The rapid increase in the number of covid-19 cases in Canada and the growing saturation of hospitals, which threatens to collapse health systems, have forced the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, to hold an emergency meeting with the provinces of the country this Monday.
One of the topics discussed at the meeting will be the controversial proposal launched last week by the Canadian Minister of Health, Jean-Yves Duclos, to make vaccination against covid-19 compulsory for the entire population.
Trudeau’s meeting with provincial premiers, his first in a month, comes amid a growing crisis in the country’s health care systems.
Canada recorded 25,466 new cases of covid-19 on Monday, although the actual numbers are much higher due to the country’s inability to carry out all the necessary tests. In the most populous provinces, the number of people infected with the virus is five times higher than the officially recognized number according to experts.
The province of Ontario, the largest and most populous in the country, announced today that the number of people hospitalized with covid-19 is 2,467, of which 438 are admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) .
A week ago, the number of covid-19 patients in intensive care was 248. The number of people hospitalized seven days ago was 1,232.
The Toronto Paramedic Services Union said on Monday that a “code red” situation occurred over the weekend when all available ambulances in the city, the largest in Canada, were on the streets. to answer calls.
The union also denounced the fact that up to 50 ambulances were sometimes unable to transport patients to hospitals in the city due to a lack of capacity in the establishments.
This Monday, the mayor of Toronto, John Tory, tried to reassure the population and assured in a press conference that people who need emergency services will be treated despite the delays in hospitals and the saturation of ambulances.
Meanwhile, in Quebec, the second most populous province, the number of hospitalized patients with the virus today rose to 2,554 people including 248 people in intensive care.
The increase in cases has forced authorities in Ontario and Quebec to delay the return of students to school after the Christmas holidays and to resort again to virtual lessons via the Internet, among other measures.