Alberta looks to other provinces for help as health-care system buckles under record-high ICU admissions
Alberta currently has more ICU admissions than it has ever had, pandemic or not, as COVID-19 cases spike in the fourth wave.
Alberta Health Services president and CEO Dr. Verna Yiu said there were 270 people in ICUs across the province on Tuesday — 88 per cent of the system's capacity.
There are typically 173 staffed ICU beds in Alberta, but the province has added an additional 132 beds during the fourth wave. Without the surge beds, Dr. Yiu says the province would be at 156 per cent of ICU capacity.
"That is the highest number of ICU patients that we have ever seen at any time during the pandemic or ever in our provincialized health-care system," she said at a Wednesday night press conference where Premier Jason Kenney and Health Minister Tyler Shandro announced a proof of vaccination program and several province-wide restrictions.
AHS has reached out to other provinces to ask if there are available beds or staff to treat its sick COVID-19 patients, Dr. Yiu said.
"We are doing this because the number of patients needing ICU is rising rapidly and we need to be prepared," she said.
AHS has also been training clinical staff on triage protocol, but Dr. Yiu says that protocol is a last resort and has not been implemented yet.
"We will continue to do all that we can to add capacity, and we will continue to do this until we've exhausted every single option."
Dr. Yiu reiterated the message of many health-care professionals during the pandemic.
"To any Alberta who has not yet been immunized and may be hesitant, I urge you to reconsider."
Alberta reported 1,609 new COVID-19 cases, 24 deaths and 877 hospitalizations on Wednesday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.