Edmonton ICU staff ‘receiving harassing phone calls’ questioning stats: AHS
Alberta Well being Providers reported Wednesday that physicians and employees at some Edmonton-area intensive care models are receiving harassing telephone calls to their models.
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AHS mentioned the calls are from “folks questioning affected person numbers and capability.”
“It’s unacceptable for anybody to harass our employees and physicians — it’s by no means acceptable and it’s unfathomable now.”
“ICU and general hospital capability within the Edmonton zone and throughout the province stays excessive, with Edmonton at present sitting at 87 per cent and general provincial capability at 84 per cent,” AHS said in a series of messages on Twitter Wednesday.
The well being group additionally shared a hyperlink to current ICU capacity, demand and surge bed statistics.
As of 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, AHS mentioned Alberta has 373 ICU beds, together with 200 extra areas — a 115 per cent enhance over its baseline of 173.
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“AHS has opened 25 extra ICU surge areas previously seven days,” spokesperson Kerry Williamson advised International Information.
As of Wednesday, there have been 313 sufferers in Alberta ICUs, “the overwhelming majority of whom are COVID optimistic.
“The variety of sufferers in ICU has elevated by 5 per cent previously seven days,” he added.
Provincially, ICU capability (together with extra surge beds) is at present at 84 per cent. With out the extra surge areas, provincial ICU capability can be at 181 per cent.
The Calgary zone ICU is working at 79 per cent of present capability.
The Edmonton zone is working at 87 per cent of present capability.
The Central zone ICU is working at 87 per cent of present capability.
The South zone ICU is at present working at 81 per cent capability.
The North zone is at present working at 104 per cent capability.
“AHS continues to do all it will probably to make sure we now have sufficient ICU capability to satisfy affected person demand, together with opening extra areas and redeploying employees,” Williamson mentioned.
The Canadian Medical Affiliation says “extraordinary measures” are wanted to cease the COVID-19 surges in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Dr. Katharine Good, head of the group, mentioned in a news release Wednesday the conditions are “heartbreaking” and that an “all palms on deck” method should be applied.
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“Any and all measures obtainable should be utilized to curb the speed of mortality, help staff and begin addressing the results of sufferers’ whose care is now on maintain indefinitely,” she mentioned.
The group focused each the provincial and federal governments, asking them to extend vaccination by means of necessary inoculation in health-care settings, and take into account implementing “firebreakers” or “circuit breakers” fashion shutdowns.
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