A warning aimed at stopping the spread of illness hangs in the emergency room in Belleville General Hospital in Belleville, Ont., Dec. 11, 2012. (Luke Hendry/QMI Agency)

CALGARY - More surgeries were postponed in Calgary Wednesday due to severe outbreaks of flu and noroviruses that health officials say could continue to squeeze hospitals throughout Alberta for some time.

Hospitals are struggling to cope with a wave of the seasonal viruses that, in the Calgary area alone, are running 10% to 20% more widespread than normal years, said Dr. Francois Belanger, the AHS’s medical director of the Calgary zone.

Patients in Calgary are being treated in hallways and other alternative spaces while some, when medically possible, are being transferred outside the region.