By Chris Brown

"health-care system is at a tipping point"

Albertans need to follow all COVID-19 measures to be successful: Hinshaw

Nov 25, 2020 | 4:44 PM

Alberta’s chief medical officer of health repeated her message that the daily rise in COVID-19 cases in the province, as well as the growing number and extent of outbreaks in acute care facilities, remains concerning.

The province announced another 1,265 cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday out of 15,644 tests completed over the past 24 hours.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw said she knows the measures introduced yesterday will be difficult for many.

“But the health-care system is at a tipping point and we cannot allow it to go over the edge,” she said. “We need Albertans to follow every measure, and I mean every measure.”

She said the restrictions in place will only be successful if they all work together.

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“Picking and choosing which measures we want to follow or find easiest will not help us slow the spread of COVID-19 cases.”

On the indoor gathering restrictions announced yesterday, Hinshaw said they are in place to restrict gatherings of a social nature, where mixing and mingling occur and does not apply to service-based visits such as from caregivers, health and child care providers or babysitters.

It also does not apply to co-parenting arrangements or shared households.

Hinshaw repeated her message that the daily rise in COVID cases as well as the growing number and extent of outbreaks in acute care facilities across the province continues to be concerning.

She also announced Alberta Health Services is continuing to take steps to increase capacity in the system.

“In the coming weeks, they plan to make available more than 2,000 acute care beds and up to 400 ICU beds to be allocated for patients with COVID-19 across the province if they are needed,” she said.

Hinshaw said some will be new beds and some will be existing beds that will be made available as patients are moved from acute care into continuing care beds where possible and safe. Patients could also be moved to available beds in other parts of the province, clinical areas could be repurposed to provide ICU care and “if needed, reducing additional non-urgent surgeries.”

“These steps are being taken to make sure there is sufficient capacity to meet the growing health-care needs,” said Hinshaw.

Visitor access to acute care sites that are on outbreak or in communities under enhanced status is being changed.

Only one designated family member or support person is permitted under specific circumstances for patients admitted to hospital and in ambulatory care. The same goes for maternity or postpartum units, in addition to a doula or surrogate.

For pediatrics, NICU as well as critical care up to two designated family member or support person.

In end-of-life situations, only one designated family member or support person is permitted and other visitors must be pre-arranged with the unit.

Restrictions may vary by site based on patient circumstances, operational considerations and ability to maintain physical distancing.

Site-by-site details on the temporary measures – intended to reduce exposure and spread in AHS facilities – are on the AHS website.

On the new measures announced yesterday and questions about how closely the government follows her recommendations, Hinshaw said she has always felt respected and listened to,” and that my recommendations have been respectfully considered by policy makers while making their decisions.”

(CHAT News Today)