Red Deer Regional Hospital (rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

dire times

COVID patients requiring higher level of care being diverted from Red Deer Regional Hospital

Sep 25, 2021 | 1:15 PM

COVID patients in Central Zone requiring a higher level of care are being taken to the Calgary area instead of hospital in Red Deer.

It’s a situation ever-evolving at Red Deer Regional Hospital, which has been the hub for Central Zone COVID patients needing intensive care throughout the pandemic.

As of Friday, Alberta Health listed 25 COVID patients from around Central Zone in Red Deer Regional’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The ICU has 12 beds, plus an additional 14 for a total of 26.

Alberta Health Services tells rdnewsNOW on Saturday (Sept. 25) that the ICU is operating at more than 100 per cent capacity, now including 20 COVID patients.

“Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre is currently facing capacity issues and is temporarily diverting COVID-19 patients needing a higher level of care to Calgary Zone,” the statement says.

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“Due to the rising number of COVID positive patients, Alberta Health Services (AHS) is making some difficult, but necessary decisions about how healthcare is delivered throughout the province. We are ramping up the number of inter-zone patient transfers in an effort to increase capacity in hospitals and free up care spaces where they are needed most.”

AHS notes ICU numbers have increased 18 per cent in the last seven days.

According to numbers reported by Alberta Health Friday, which again are changing daily, there are 243 people in ICU with COVID-19, and 1,061 total people in hospital positive for COVID.

There are 20,040 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, as of Friday, according to Canada.ca. The next highest are Quebec and B.C. with just under 6,500.

Alberta also has more than twice as many cases than any other province over the last seven days. The country has also recorded 250 deaths over the last week, with 99 in Alberta.