Opatrny said simulations on a triage protocol for access to intensive care were already taking place, and that this protocol could be used in the following weeks. Under the proposed protocol, patients may need to be triaged for access to the ICU, meaning not everyone would get a spot. On Jan. 11, there were more than 1,400 hospitalizations related to COVID-19 in Quebec; that number fell to 1,324 on Tuesday, Jan. 26. However, the Conseil pour la protection des malades (CPM) provided recommendations for the government to avoid further overcrowding. These recommendations include offering permanent and full-time positions to part-time nurses, increasing the pace of elective interventions that have become urgent, inviting retired physicians to return, and asking specialists who work in non-essential areas to work in intensive care.