Unusually severe flu season is pushing hospitals over capacity in the Northeast

An unusually dangerous respiratory illness season in northeastern Ontario is pushing hospitals to their limits like never before, and forcing them to house patients in more unconventional locations.

The regional health care center, Health Sciences North, (HSN), says it has 10 to 15 percent more patients than this time last year, something President and CEO David McNeil said he has never seen before.

He pointed to the flu as well as more serious cases of COVID and Raspiration syncytial virus ,RSV) peaked at the same time, causing both pressure on emergency rooms and increased admissions.

In addition to his responsibility to treat critically ill patients throughout the region, there have been outbreaks throughout the community.

In a news release, HSN said that MMore than 20 influenza, COVID-19 and respiratory outbreaks have been announced in community, group and long-term care homes in Greater Sudbury to begin in 2026.

It said there are currently two influenza outbreaks in HSN – One on the respiratory care unit on 6 South and one on the cardiology unit on 8 North.

McNeil said the pressure is increasing.

“So typically on a typical day at HSN when we’re not in respiratory virus season, when we come in at eight in the morning, we see about 20 patients in the emergency department waiting to go to an interior bed because they need admission,” he said. “We’ve seen that number more than double in the last three weeks.”

McNeil said that although HSN has historically operated at excess capacity, it continues to look for space to house additional patients.

“As we approach these times of peak demands, we have to look for alternative locations of care around the hospital to continue providing patient care,” he said. “More patients are staying in the emergency department, more patients are staying in hallways and alternative places of care such as critical care patients being cared for in recovery rooms, et cetera.”

The bad flu season is also impacting a Sault area hospital, where an administrator said if it gets worse, patients will have to stay in the recovery room, which could result in surgical schedules being affected.

As of January 6, 2026, the hospital posted on its website that it was at 119 percent occupancy, with 18 patients admitted to the emergency department waiting for an inpatient bed.

Lynn Jobst, director of patient flow and utilization at Sault Area Hospital, said patients are already being housed in unconventional locations because many are waiting for appointments in long-term care homes, but the influx of patients due to the flu is creating more problems.

He said some services were being affected as patients were taking up space for other purposes.

“It impacts our ability to support recreational therapy and physio and those types of services,” she said.

Clinics and dining rooms are also being filled with sick people.

His biggest concern is whether the number of patients will continue to increase.

“We have to consider utilizing our recovery room spaces and this may impact our ability to perform elective procedures,” he said.

Jobst said the hospital is keeping an eye on it and will assess the program on a day-to-day basis.

The emergency room at New Liskeard’s tiny Temiskaming Hospital is not as cramped as those in the Sault or Sudbury, but the people who are there are sicker than usual, said Mike Baker, president and CEO.

“It’s an interesting situation for us,” he said. “We’re seeing about two-thirds the number of people in our emergency department than last year. But we’re seeing that the people who are coming in with the flu are much more acute.”

As a result, admissions are rising and they are seeking to isolate patients with infectious virus, Baker said.

He said sending sick patients elsewhere is not an option for hospitals because hospitals throughout the region are so overcrowded.

All hospitals are asking people to be patient if they seek treatment in emergency departments and seek care elsewhere if appropriate.