Urgent spaces for COVID-19 patients to be opened at Calgary's South Health Campus
Starting Monday, Alberta Health Services (AHS) is opening a number of spaces at two hospitals, one in Calgary and one in Edmonton, to help handle a suspected surge of cases from the Omicron wave of COVID-19.
Officials announced details of the beds, located inside the Pandemic Response Units (PRUs) at the Kaye Edmonton Clinic and Calgary's South Health Campus, during a Thursday afternoon media conference.
Premier Jason Kenney said that decision was made because of the "continued pressure" from the Omicron variant.
"We have to be mindful of that, particularly in non-intensive care beds – regular ward beds. We now have a little over 1,000 patients admitted either for or with COVID in those beds," he said.
Kenney adds those patients must be treated differently and isolated from the rest of the hospital population when necessary, which is where the PRUs come in.
Dr. Verna Yiu, the CEO of AHS, says the health-care system is at 89 per cent capacity. However, without the steps they've already taken to increase the number of care beds, Alberta would be closer to 93 per cent capacity.
"This can change really quickly," she said. "This past weekend, the number of Albertans needing hospital care increased by almost 100 people. Our internal warning system tool shows us that we can expect numbers to keep increasing for a while yet."
The spaces at the Kaye Edmonton Clinic and South Health Campus were set up earlier in the pandemic for urgent needs and, Yiu says, the surge of Omicron cases led to AHS activating some of those beds.
"The Kaye clinic will open 18 beds in the coming week, and there are plans to open another 18 beds the week of Jan. 31," she said.
"South Health Campus unit will open 12 beds initially with plans to open another 12 beds. We will only use these beds if we have to and, going forward, additional beds will be opened as needed and as staff availability allows."
(Supplied/AHS)
HOSPITALIZATIONS WILL DROP SOON: HEALTH MINISTER
While hospitalizations related to new infections are still increasing, the government says the Omicron wave has plateaued and they will begin to drop, but it's not known when that will happen.
"We know that cases will rise over the next few weeks and hospitalizations will rise with them," Health Minister Jason Copping said. "They will come down, but we don't know when."
Copping says the focus needs to remain on health-care workers who are continuing to care for patients.
"I am grateful to everyone working in our hospitals across our health-care system, from EMS to labs to family doctor's to home care and continuing care providers. We need all of you and we know that you're tired, you've been through this for over two years and you need to get back to caring for patients in a more normal fashion.
"We all need to get back to living normally and we will get there."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
Ontario urges mpox testing amid spike in cases
Ontario health officials are urging public health units to test for mpox, the viral disease formerly known as monkeypox, amid a spike of confirmed cases in the province.
More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
'Don't expect any deals:' Expert says stores may not offer steep discounts on post-Easter chocolate
Those looking to snap up cheap treats at their local grocery store next week following the Easter long weekend could be in for a bit of a surprise as the rising cost of cocoa continues to drive up the price of chocolate, one expert says.