People going to emergency rooms at Regina's two hospitals are being warned that they'll have to wait longer for care.
The Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region says there's been a surge in patients in emergency rooms at Regina General Hospital and Pasqua Hospital.
It says as of noon Tuesday, Pasqua Hospital was at 118 per cent capacity and Regina General was at 100 per cent capacity.
The region says the delay for patients is compounded by the challenge to replace nursing staff who are also ill.
It's the busiest time of the year for hospitals, which experience an annual patient surge from January to March.
Glen Perchie, the region's executive director of emergency, says they expect the patient surge will last for at least the next week and possibly longer.
"We continue to place patient safety above all other concerns," Perchie said in a news release Tuesday.
"Emergency Department patients are treated on the basis of urgency, with the most urgent cases seen first. With our high patient volumes right now, some patients with less urgent needs may face longer waits than usual."
This content appears as provided to The Globe by the originating wire service. It has not been edited by Globe staff.