EDMONTON – The Alberta government is set to make an announcement Thursday afternoon regarding the province’s current COVID-19 situation.
Health Minister Tyler Shandro and Cheif Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw are scheduled to appear in front of cameras at 3:30 p.m. Thursday.
As the press release says here, the focus is on reducing pressure on hospitals. However, it's unclear right now if any actual policies or measures will be announced. pic.twitter.com/OfJg6fBnxG
— Tom Ross (@Tommy_Slick) September 9, 2021
The province says Shandro and Hinshaw will talk about steps to reduce pressure on hospitals amid skyrocketing COVID-19 cases.
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Alberta Health Services CEO and President Dr. Verna Yiu will also be at the announcement.
Doctors have warned that Alberta’s health-care system is on the brink of disaster, with ICUs 95 per cent full with COVID-19 patients.
Dr. Shazma Mithani, an emergency room physician in Edmonton, said a staffing crisis, overwhelmed intensive care units and mixed messaging from the province has created a “dire” situation.
Her biggest fear, she said, is that doctors will need to triage patients should hospitalizations continue to mount.
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Dr. Ilan Schwartz, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Alberta, called the masking and liquor service rules implemented last week by the UCP are “all but meaningless.”
AHS announced Wednesday that it had cancelled or postponed all elective surgeries in the Calgary Zone to free up more beds to care for COVID-19 patients.
-with files from the Canadian Press
