With hospitals in Toronto and Peel nearing capacity, a warning has been issued by the president of the Ontario Hospital Association.

Anthony Dale says there is enormous growing risk and much more effective public health measures are needed.

Dale says most large hospitals in the GTA are operating above 90 percent capacity with some already full and experiencing patient gridlock in emergency departments.

Dale goes on to say that a COVID surge will put at risk the balancing act hospitals are maintaining at the moment; elective surgeries, running COVID-19 assessment centres, processing coronavirus tests in their labs and preparing for an influx of influenza and severely ill COVID-19 patients.

As of Sunday, there were 169 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Ontario, up from 88 on September 24th.