Incidental COVID-19 transmissions to hospital patients creates strain for Alberta health-care workers
The province of Alberta is beginning to differentiate its statistics on patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and those where it is unclear if the virus contributed to their admission.
Alberta Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw says that since Jan 10., 52 per cent of non-ICU admissions were due to COVID-19 infections and 48 per cent were either incidental, or it was unclear whether the virus contributed.
Hinshaw added 79 per cent of new ICU admissions were due to COVID infections and 21 per cent were either incidental or it was unclear if COVID contributed.
As of the latest update on Tuesday, there are 1,007 Albertans in hospital with COVID-19, including 94 in ICU.
While these new statistics may seem to be an easy way to discount the impact of the Omicron variant on the health-care system, doctors say it’s not that simple of a calculation.
Dr. Eddy Lang, the clinical department head for emergency medicine in the Calgary zone says the fifth wave of COVID is much different than past waves because of how rampant the virus is.
“We’re seeing people coming to the emergency department with other problems, a broken ankle for example, and they may also tell us that their throat is a bit scratchy so we’re then obligated to do a PCR test,” he said.
“When these tests come back positive, it creates a lot of strain on the health-care system because we can't put them in a regular ward and risk infecting other people who don't have COVID.”
Lang adds that there are still people who are generally unvaccinated or immunosuppressed who are coming in with COVID in their lungs and require oxygen for a few days.
He notes that those patients are not adding a large strain on intensive care units, only rarely are they getting intubated, and that ICU numbers expect to remain stable. Doctors working in the emergency department also tell CTV News that the risk of becoming infected in hospital is very low.
At the same time, it has been a challenge for doctors constantly working to screen other patients for possible respiratory symptoms and directing suspected COVID patients to specified areas of the emergency department.
“Patients who need a hospital bed for whatever reason, might not have a place to go because there are limited beds upstairs and much of the units are closed because of staffing shortages or COVID outbreaks,” Lang said.
“So, if God forbid, we do have to close or limit surgical services, that should open up a lot of capacity and there are some other plans in the works that will also create some additional in-patient beds.”
COULD COVID-19 INFECTIONS IN HOSPITAL LEAD TO MORE SERIOUS PATIENT OUTCOMES?
Calgary public health physician Dr. Jia Hu says the Alberta government’s new reporting of people admitted to hospital for COVID-19 and those who may be infected while in hospital will give a better sense of the overall burden on the health-care system.
However, questions still remain as to whether or not the virus could be a driver of worsening symptoms for those who were not hospitalized for COVID in the first place and were diagnosed while receiving care by doctors.
“It’s kind of in the same way when we try to determine the cause of death in anybody, you know, it's always a little bit of drag of whether it was the COVID that killed them with a heart attack or if they were dealing with a longer illness,” said Hu.
“Patients or staff getting COVID in hospital is always a really bad thing because people at the hospital are at higher risk, it also really wreaks havoc on the ability of hospital units to admit patients and on staffing, which is going to be one of the biggest challenges every province, including ours, is facing right now with Omicron.”
Hu adds that the best way to protect against COVID-19 is to get vaccinated and that the vast majority of patients with two doses and a booster shot will likely see mild effects of the virus if they’re infected.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
This Toronto restaurant is no longer accepting tips. Here's how it's going
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff – tipping is no longer accepted.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.