Alberta hospitals slammed with COVID-19 patients, some returning less than a month later

CALGARY (660NEWS) — Alberta’s doctors and nurses are exhausted as the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to challenge the healthcare system.

For weeks, we have heard that our system is at its brink, and it could be because of people being readmitted to hospitals with COVID-19.

According to Alberta Health Services, during the fourth wave, 80 per cent of hospitalized patients in July visited an emergency room within 30 days of being discharged, while 17 per cent of those patients were readmitted.

The president of emergency medicine with the Alberta Medical Association, Dr. Paul Parks, says a lot of this could have been avoided. He says morale is at an all-time low and doctors and nurses are working overtime and double shifts to deal with the increase.

“That kind of extraordinary effort can’t go on forever. It’s also a bit frustrating and very difficult when we’re seeing that 90 per cent of the cases are unvaccinated Albertans that we really wish that if had they been vaccinated, we probably could have avoided so much of this,” said Parks, who added people who left hospital care are likely not getting re-infected.

“It’s that their symptoms are getting protracted, and they’re having longer symptoms from their initial reaction,” he said.

READ MORE: 

• Military begins COVID 19 work at Edmonton hospital as Alberta battles fourth wave

• Redeploying Alberta nurses to ICUs not as simple as it seems

• Hospitals slammed with COVID-19 patients, some returning less than a month later

Parks adds there are several factors to be considered when it comes to discharging a patient. However, he says healthcare professionals always make sure patients are aware they should return to the hospital if they develop worsening symptoms after they are sent home.

“It’s probably a pressure on the healthcare system. If we can safely discharge them, we’re probably trying to discharge patients maybe a little bit quicker than we usually would just so we can free up space. But of course, that would only be done if it’s safe,” he said.

Parks also sent a letter to Premier Jason Kenney and Health Minister Jason Copping inviting them to an intensive care unit (ICU) to experience firsthand what doctors and nurses are dealing with.

“So they can see we are managing, but at what cost? So they can see what the hospitals look like, what it looks like to have two patients in a single ICU room, for example, where it’s normally designed for one patient,” he added.

During Tuesday’s update, the premier and health minister both said that now is not the time to interfere with healthcare workers.