Canadian Armed Forces called to assist Alberta in its fight against COVID-19's fourth wave
The federal government has heard Alberta's call for help in its struggle against the fourth wave of COVID-19 and it will respond, says a statement from Public Safety Minister Bill Blair.
Blair confirmed that he had responded to a formal request for assistance from Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver, sent earlier this week.
"We acknowledge the difficulties Alberta continues to face during this fourth wave in the ongoing fight against the COVID-19 pandemic," he wrote.
"I recognize the significant, immediate challenges currently facing Albertans, and know the importance of ensuring support to your health care system. As such, I am pleased to officially confirm that the Government of Canada, will support the provincial government's recent request and provide the necessary support to Albertans during this difficult time."
Blair's office confirmed the support would include members of the Canadian Armed Forces.
Officials with the CAF says those personnel will include nurses, pilots and crews to help transport patients as part of Operation LASER, the agency's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"CAF aeromedical transportation coordination efforts are underway. This team – which is likely to include a command and control element, CAF air transport assets and aircrew, the Aeromedical Bio-containment Evacuation System, and associated CAF Health Services critical care staff – should be deployable within 24 hours. The deployment of ICU nurses could begin within 72 hours," said Andrew McKelvey, media relations with the Department of National Defence, in an email to CTV News.
The team will include up to eight ICU nurses.
"CAF members have played a critical role in Canada’s whole-of-government response to COVID-19 since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, last year. CAF members remain ready to respond wherever and however they are needed to help our communities."
McIver's letter, which was released to the media on Tuesday, informed the federal government about the current situation facing the province in the fourth wave of COVID-19.
He asked Blair for assistance to relocate patients outside of Alberta for medical treatment as well as additional health care staff to support Alberta Health Services.
"Federal assistance in these two areas has the potential to create significant relief to the healthcare system," McIver wrote.
Following news of the letter being sent to Blair's office, Alberta's Official Opposition criticized the timing of the act.
"Alberta's frontline healthcare workers need all the help they can get as they struggle with the emergency created by the UCP's failure to act for months while this crisis escalated. I hope the federal government is able to provide resources to relieve some of this excruciating pressure," said David Shepherd, the Alberta NDP's health critic.
UNPRECEDENTED DEMAND ON HOSPITALS
As the surge of the fourth wave continues, Alberta Health Services (AHS) says there are hundreds of patients being treated for COVID-19, including many with severe symptoms in the ICU.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, AHS CEO Dr. Verna Yiu said there are 310 patients in the ICU in Alberta, with 226 of those having COVID-19.
"We have never ever had that number of total patients in the ICU before, never with the prior waves and never in the prior history of this province," she said.
"Yesterday alone we had 22 Albertans admitted to our ICUs with COVID; the day before we had 23. Over the past five days the number of COVID ICU admissions have been over 23 per day. It's tragic that we are only able to keep pace with these numbers because, in part, some of our ICU patients have passed away. This reality has a deep and lasting impact on our ICU teams."
When it comes total capacity in the ICU, Yiu said it's "very fluid."
"The capacity that I presented last week is very different from the capacity of this week and every day. The teams are working so hard to create additional capacity so that we actually don't have to move to the steps of out of province, or having to bring people into the province or, as a last resort that critical care triage, so there is no definitive number right now.
"We are doing everything as I said to optimize and maximize capacity through different workforce models but also looking at using different spaces that we don't traditionally use."
According to the latest data from Alberta Health, there are 20,180 active cases in the province, with 1,058 in hospital.
More than 2,600 Albertans have died in connection with COVID-19.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.