'Move to endemic was too early': Hinshaw acknowledges Alberta jumped the gun relaxing COVID-19 response
The doctor leading Alberta through the pandemic has admitted she began treating COVID-19 as endemic prematurely.
Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw made the comments Thursday when the province announced it needed to find more ICU space.
Nearing 90 per cent ICU capacity – including dozens of surge beds already added – Alberta Health Services aims to move 400 patients to care homes or back to their own houses by hiring more aides.
With hundreds of Albertans in hospital with COVID-19, elective surgeries being cancelled across the province, and projections suggesting Alberta's fourth wave could peak at 1,900 daily cases in September, both Alberta and its hospitals are in a different situation than when the province fully reopened July 1 and decided to stop mass testing and isolation requirements later that month.
At the time, the top doctor said COVID-19 risk needed to be integrated with other health risks for the sake of Alberta's limited resources and given vaccine protection was more widespread. Messaging from both her and the provincial government used "endemic" wording to describe the shift in Alberta's COVID-19 response.
"Clearly, the move to endemic was too early," Hinshaw acknowledged Thursday.
According to the U.S.-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a disease is endemic when it is constantly or predictably prevalent within a population or region, like chickenpox is.
'UP TO ALBERTANS' TO CHOOSE WHERE TO PUT TRUST: HINSHAW
She said the decision to transition to an endemic approach was made, in part, after consulting with colleagues where public health measures were also being relaxed and with an expectation from United Kingdom data that COVID-19 cases would go up, but not severe illness in the same way.
- Alberta to eliminate COVID-19 quarantine rules as cases rise among the unvaccinated
- Dr. Hinshaw explains Alberta's easing of mandatory masks, isolation requirements
- 'The inevitable next step': Alberta health minister defends COVID-19 policy changes
"That recommendation was based on what I had available to me at that time and based on my belief that was in the best interest of Albertans in terms of their overall health," Hinshaw told reporters.
Modelling done in the early summer, released Sept. 3, suggested Alberta would see COVID-19 ICU hospitalizations peak around 70 in early-to-mid September. The data projected COVID-19 hospitalizations would number around 220.
But according to the latest data, some 670 Albertans are in hospital with COVID-19, 154 of whom are receiving intensive care.
About two weeks after the end-of-July announcement, as cases and hospitalizations ticked up, the province backed down on its plan to abandon mass testing and isolation rules.
Hinshaw said Thursday that was when her team could see signs Alberta's COVID-19 cases weren't trending as they had expected.
She stressed the future is impossible to predict and therefore it's important Alberta's pandemic response remains agile enough to make adjustments.
"It is of course up to Albertans to determine where they want to put their trust. All I can do is continue to show up, continue to do my best every day," Hinshaw commented.
"And it will be up to Albertans and decision makers to choose how they wish to work with me."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
U.S. vetoes a widely supported UN resolution backing full membership for Palestine
The United States has vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
N.L. gardening store revives 19th century seed-packing machine
Technology from the 19th century has been brought out of retirement at a Newfoundland gardening store, as staff look for all the help they can get to fill orders during a busy season.