Upwards of 50 ambulances were tied up at Toronto hospitals this weekend when 'code red' was issued

At points this weekend there were upwards of 50 Toronto ambulances that were out of service at one time while paramedics waited to offload patients at local hospitals.

Toronto Paramedic Services Chief Paul Raftis discussed the issue during a City of Toronto COVID-19 briefing on Monday.

His comments come after Toronto Paramedic Services was forced to issue a so-called “code red” on Saturday night when it was left without a single free ambulance available to respond to calls.

In more typical times around 40 Toronto ambulances are usually available to respond to calls at any point, according to a city spokesperson.

Ambulances from neighbouring jurisdictions can also be asked to respond to high-priority calls when needed.