Ottawa Hospitals Overwhelmed as Flu Season Hits Harder, Earlier This Holiday Week
Children under five face second-highest hospitalization rates as flu cases surge to 28% positivity nationwide OTTAWA — With Christmas just two days away, Ottawa hospitals are buckling under an unusually severe flu season that has arrived earlier and struck harder than any post-pandemic year, leaving families scrambling and emergency departments overflowing. The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario is treating more than 200 patients daily in its emergency department, with numbers spiking to 261 on a single day last week. The surge reflects a broader crisis across Ottawa’s hospital network as influenza cases overwhelm medical facilities. “Unfortunately, we’ve seen some deaths
