Alberta offers ICU space as third wave of COVID-19 hits Manitoba
Alberta Health Services has extended an offer to accept up to 10 intensive care patients from Manitoba to help ease the burden as that province nears the expected peak of its third wave of the pandemic.
AHS officials say Alberta currently has sufficient intensive care unit capacity to welcome additional patients into hospitals in Edmonton or Calgary.
"Alberta is proud to support our fellow Canadians during this time of need," said Health Minister Tyler Shandro in a statement issued Wednesday. "With our hospitalizations falling in line with the recent trend in cases, we have available capacity to help our neighbours.
"The staff and physicians in our hospitals and across our health system have worked hard to meet the needs of patients throughout the pandemic. I know they are tired, but I also know how deeply committed they are to caring for patients, and I know they will come through again."
Discussions are currently underway to formulate a timeline for the westward transfer of patients in need of critical care.
Once a patient's condition stabilizes, they will return to Manitoba to continue their recovery.
Dr. Verna Yiu, Alberta Health Services president and CEO, says Alberta is fortunate to have strong critical care teams and, while the care of Albertans is always a priority, the teams will do their best to care for the patients from Manitoba.
"We have a long tradition of working with our neighbours to share expertise, resources and learnings, and we stand alongside Manitoba as they deal with this pandemic and its impact on patient care," said Yiu. "I am so grateful and appreciative of our teams, and I thank them for all their efforts."
Manitoba's third wave is expected to reach its crescendo next week.
As of Wednesday, 438 patients are currently in Alberta hospitals as a result of COVID-19 including 127 in intensive care.
There were 187 COVID-19 patients in Alberta ICUs in mid-May, the most the province had seen during the pandemic.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Serial sexual offender linked to unsolved 1970s homicides of four Calgary girls, women
An investigation into unsolved historical homicides from the 1970s has linked the deaths of two girls and two young women in and around Calgary to a now-deceased serial offender.
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.
A look back on Alberta's record-breaking wildfire season: Preparing for potential challenges in 2024
By the end of the 2023 wildfire season in Alberta, 1,088 wildfires had burned more than 2.2 million hectares of land, and this year, the wildfire season is already in full swing.
Video appears to show Sean 'Diddy' Combs beating singer Cassie in hotel hallway in 2016
Security video aired by CNN appears to show Sean 'Diddy' Combs physically assaulting singer Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016.
B.C. man 'attacked suddenly' by adult grizzly near Alberta border: RCMP
A B.C. man is recovering from multiple injuries after he was "attacked suddenly" by an adult grizzly bear near Elkford Thursday afternoon.
Anglers reel in 3.5-metre-long tiger shark off coast of Florida: 'She found my bait'
A group of fishers said it took roughly 20 minutes to reel in this 3.5-metre-long tiger shark off the coast of Florida.
Australia's richest woman seeks removal of her portrait from exhibition
Art is subjective. And while many artists long to share their work with the world, there's no guarantee that the audience will understand it, or even like it.
Scottie Scheffler isn't the first pro golfer to be arrested during a tournament
Scottie Scheffler's arrest hours before his second-round tee time at the PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky, will go down as one of the most shocking in professional golf history. It certainly wasn't the first, though.
Canadian convicted of attacking Nancy Pelosi's husband with a hammer sentenced to 30 years
The man convicted of attempting to kidnap then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and attacking her husband with a hammer was sentenced Friday to 30 years in prison.