Doctors and nurses are warning that Alberta's health system is already under strain as COVID-19 hospitalizations surge and the respiratory virus season has yet to kick into high gear.Doctors and nurses are warning that Alberta's health system is already under strain as COVID-19 hospitalizations surge and the respiratory virus season has yet to kick into high gear.
"The concern for me is we're already hitting capacity issues and we're still relatively early on in the respiratory season," said Dr. Arun Abbi, president of the emergency medicine section with the Alberta Medical Association.Three COVID patients were admitted by Abbi in one nightshift alone at the Foothills Medical Centre earlier this week.
Dr. Arun Abbi estimates 30 to 40 per cent of emergency room beds in Calgary are blocked at any given time with admitted patients. He worries that will get worse as COVID numbers rise. "We've definitely seen a huge uptick in the last few months," said Bakshi, an internal medicine physician at the Royal Alexandra Hospital.
According to Bakshi, when patients pick up the virus through hospital outbreaks, it still adds to the burden. "Our hospitals remain very busy as we continue to experience an increase in respiratory illnesses and hospital outbreaks, as well as higher acuity patients," spokesperson Kerry Williamson said in an email.
"This government likes to talk about personal responsibility and making decisions that are best for yourself and your family. But we don't have the data to make those kinds of decisions," said Westhead.
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