'We need to bend that curve': Alberta could transfer ICU patients to Ontario as hospitalizations near 900
Alberta is considering transferring ICU patients to other provinces as the fourth wave puts its health-care system under "extreme pressure."
Ontario has accepted to take on Alberta patients if needed, and Alberta Health Services is also in conversations with British Columbia and Manitoba, president and CEO Dr. Verna Yiu told reporters on Thursday. However, in a statement to CTV News, B.C. told Alberta it will not be able to help them "given the current demands" on its own health-care system right now.
Dr. Yiu stressed AHS hopes it does not get to that point, but added: "We do not have the ability to simply open more and more ICU spaces and hospital beds and we do not have an endless number of staff who can provide critical care."
Alberta currently has 310 ICU beds, a total that includes 137 surge beds, Dr. Yiu said. Eighty-six per cent of beds are occupied — largely by COVID-19 patients.
In addition to the possibility of out-of-province help, AHS says its field hospitals in Edmonton and Calgary are ready.
And the triage protocol is, too.
"We've started the educational process, so this week was sharing with our staff what it is and setting the infrastructure in place so if we had to use — again this would be an absolute, absolute last resort — that staff are ready, trained and prepared," Dr. Yiu said.
She begged unvaccinated Albertans to get immunized to protect themselves and others, and alleviate the stress on hospitals.
"If the numbers keep increasing, right now we're seeing on average about 18 to 20 new COVID ICU admissions every single day throughout the province, and we need to bend that curve. We need to bend that trend, and the best thing we can do is to [get vaccinated]. So I just can't say enough how important it is for Albertans to go out and get vaccinated."
KEY METRICS KEEP SPIKING
Alberta reported 1,718 new COVID-19 cases and 10 deaths on Thursday.
The province now has 18,706 active cases, 896 hospitalizations and 222 ICU admissions.
Alberta's pandemic death toll exceeded 2,500 on Thursday.
Close to 78 per cent of hospital cases are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said.
Of eligible Albertans, 79.6 per cent have one vaccine dose and 71.5 per cent have both.
Hinshaw, who gave regular media briefings for most of the pandemic before Alberta loosened its restrictions on July 1, said she would begin to give updates twice a week again.
"Given the crisis that our province is facing and the state of public health emergency that was issued yesterday, I will keep Albertans informed and will be here regularly to answer questions to the best of my ability."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Baby boom amongst nurses leads to maternity ward closure in Listowel, Ont.
The emergency room at Listowel’s hospital is open today, but come summer, their obstetrics unit will be temporarily closing its delivery rooms.
Humboldt Broncos bus crash survivor qualifies Canada for Paralympics in rowing event
Former Humboldt Broncos goaltender and bus crash survivor Jacob Wassermann has qualified Canada for a rowing event for the 2024 Paralympic games in Paris.
Krispy Kreme doughnuts coming to McDonald's in U.S., but not Canada
Canadians will be missing out on a sweet new partnership between McDonald's and Krispy Kreme, which will see doughnuts available at McDonald's locations across the U.S. by the end of 2026.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.