Alberta hospitals getting harassing calls questioning COVID ICU capacity

EDMONTON – Doctors and nurses at hospitals in the Edmonton Zone have been receiving harassing phone calls to their intensive care units, Alberta Health Services (AHS) says.

Physicians and staff in some of our Edmonton Zone ICUs are receiving harassing phone calls to their units from people questioning patient numbers and capacity. It is unacceptable for anyone to harass our staff and physicians – it’s never acceptable and it’s unfathomable now. 1/3

— Alberta Health Services (@AHS_media) September 29, 2021

On social media, the health authority says people have been calling medical centres questioning patient numbers and ICU capacities.

“It is unacceptable for anyone to harass our staff and physicians – it’s never acceptable and it’s unfathomable now,” AHS said.

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ICU and overall hospital capacity in the Edmonton Zone and across the province remains high.

AHS says Edmonton is currently sitting at 87 per cent and overall provincial capacity is at 84 per cent.

Doctors have warned for weeks that COVID-19 case counts and a growing number of hospitalizations are pushing Alberta’s health system to the brink of collapse.