Lines out the door, 17-hour waits: Alberta Children's Hospital crushed by respiratory infections
Staff at Alberta Children’s Hospital say even seriously sick kids are waiting up to four hours to be triaged, with a packed emergency department and lineups sometimes stretching out the door.
According to staff, at one point on Sunday, 133 patients were waiting to be seen in the emergency department.
Two medical staff members at the hospital have reached out to CTV News, calling the conditions unsafe.
The crush is being driven by a surge in respiratory illnesses, including influenza, RSV and COVID-19.
Other jurisdictions around the world are seeing a similar trend: surging flu-like illnesses hitting unusually early.
"If we're going to see a big rush of this sort of thing, we see it later in the year, but seeing it really (in the) middle of November is really early for this sort of thing," said Dr. Raj Bhardwaj, a physician and urgent care doctor in Calgary.
"We still have a few difficult months to get through respiratory virus season,” said Premier Danielle Smith on Monday.
She says hospital wait times are "unacceptable," and that the current waves of illness and crisis in care are caused by two things.
The first, she says, is a result of pandemic restrictions.
"I think what we're experiencing is because we had such draconian lockdowns over the last three years," Smith said.
"There's just a large number of kids who didn't get that exposure. And so now we have a surge in those cases."
The reality, says Bhardwaj, is more complicated and not yet fully understood.
"'Immunity debt' as some people are calling it has very little – if any – scientific evidence for it," he said.
"It's a complicated problem. And complex systems – complex problems – usually have more than one cause.
"How your immune system works is that if you get exposed to something years later, it still has a memory of how to fight that and it will go ahead and fight that."
The premier also blames conditions in the province's children's hospitals on management.
"We still have not seen an increase in surge capacity at our hospitals. That's a failure of Alberta Health Services management,” the premier said.
Facing similar pressures, Ontario is now recommending – though not mandating – a return to widespread masking in public spaces.
Asked repeatedly Monday about a masking recommendation, Smith would only say this:
"Anyone who feels comfortable to wear a mask should wear a mask. That should be a personal choice."
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.