The new emergency room at Charlottetown's Queen Elizabeth Hospital has been busier than usual since it opened Friday.

About 30 extra patients a day have been visiting the ER, and nurse manager Anita MacKenzie believes it's because people want to see the new facility.

"Some of the volumes that we're seeing are things that we would typically expect to see maybe on Boxing Day whenever clinics are closed, and doctors' offices are closed, and there's really no place else to receive care."

MacKenzie said the increase in patients was expected, and extra staff were scheduled to handle the load.