KITCHENER -- Medical officials are closely monitoring ICU capacity at Waterloo-Wellington hospitals.

They're at 94 per cent capacity with four beds available.

Out-of-town patients have also been transferred to regional hospitals to help manage hospital capacity in COVID-19 hotspots.

"The occupancy in the ICU is very fluid," said Lee Fairclough, the COVID-19 triage response team hospital lead. "It really depends on what presents in the hospital, what the needs are."

The response team meets daily to closely monitor ICU and hospital capacity.

There are currently 21 patients with COVID-19 at Grand River Hospital, 12 at Cambridge Memorial Hospital, 19 at St. Mary's General Hospital and five at Guelph General Hospital.

"Some tend to have very long stays in the ICU where we would see heavier occupancy," Fairclough said.

Tom Langan spent more than 100 days in hospital over the spring and summer recovering from the disease.

"I had a whole team looking after me in the ICU," Langan said. "Usually there was a team of two or three nurses looking after me."

Fairclough said area hospitals have received 11 patients so far from hotspots.

Staff said the process is very controlled and they are continually looking at their ability to support other regions.