Cambridge Hospital (CMH) has canceled many surgeries over the past two days as staffing pressures combined with bed capacity limits have strained the overburdened system.

Stefan Beekhof, Communications Director at CMH Hospital, said Wednesday morning: "We had to cancel some surgeries to make room for patients."

CMH confirmed that a total of eight surgeries were canceled over the past two days, with six canceled on Wednesday and two on Tuesday.

The hospital confirmed that the canceled surgeries were not cancer-related. On Tuesday, CMH issued a warning asking people to expect long wait times in the emergency room.

The hospital warned on Tuesday that wait times would be extremely high due to patient volume and ongoing staff shortages.

Beekhof told CTV News Kitchener that some patients waited more than 13 hours on Tuesday to receive treatment, depending on the severity of their condition.

The hospital also confirmed that it had 47 staff members out sick on Tuesday with 20 absences related to COVID-19.