UCP KENNEY MIA
Day surgeries in Edmonton cancelled, only priority cancer, urgent and emergent surgeries being done: AHS
Ashley Joannou
Day surgeries in Edmonton cancelled, only priority cancer, urgent and emergent surgeries being done: AHS
Ashley Joannou
© Provided by Edmonton Journal The Alberta Health Services logo.
All day surgeries in the Edmonton Zone have been postponed this week as Alberta continues to deal with an increase in COVID-19 cases across the province during the fourth wave of the pandemic.
In a statement early Monday, Alberta Health Services spokesperson Kerry Williamson said hospitals would only be providing priority cancer, urgent and emergent surgeries, meaning up to 70 per cent of surgeries would be affected.
The move was made “in order to have sufficient ICU and inpatient capacity to manage the increased COVID activity across the zone and the province,” he said.
“Patients who are impacted will be contacted and their procedures will be rescheduled as soon as possible.”
Williamson said cancelling the surgeries will free up space for patients who require inpatient and critical care and allow staff to be redeployed where they’re needed.
The Edmonton Zone has opened an additional 54 ICU surge beds bringing its total number of critical care beds to 126.
“We are able to staff these beds and respond to critical care needs for the Edmonton Zone as well as support the North and Central Zones, who have less ability to create additional critical care capacity. As of Sunday at 1pm, 111 of the 126 ICU beds were filled, Williamson said.
Alberta has the highest rate of COVID-19 cases in the country.
“This situation continues to be very serious, and we would like to remind all Albertans that we need their help in reducing the transmission of COVID-19 in the community, which in turn will reduce strain on the healthcare system,” Williamson said.
Data from over the weekend is expected to be released Monday afternoon. As of Friday, the province had 16,265 active cases up from 15,977 active cases as of Thursday.
All day surgeries in the Edmonton Zone have been postponed this week as Alberta continues to deal with an increase in COVID-19 cases across the province during the fourth wave of the pandemic.
In a statement early Monday, Alberta Health Services spokesperson Kerry Williamson said hospitals would only be providing priority cancer, urgent and emergent surgeries, meaning up to 70 per cent of surgeries would be affected.
The move was made “in order to have sufficient ICU and inpatient capacity to manage the increased COVID activity across the zone and the province,” he said.
“Patients who are impacted will be contacted and their procedures will be rescheduled as soon as possible.”
Williamson said cancelling the surgeries will free up space for patients who require inpatient and critical care and allow staff to be redeployed where they’re needed.
The Edmonton Zone has opened an additional 54 ICU surge beds bringing its total number of critical care beds to 126.
“We are able to staff these beds and respond to critical care needs for the Edmonton Zone as well as support the North and Central Zones, who have less ability to create additional critical care capacity. As of Sunday at 1pm, 111 of the 126 ICU beds were filled, Williamson said.
Alberta has the highest rate of COVID-19 cases in the country.
“This situation continues to be very serious, and we would like to remind all Albertans that we need their help in reducing the transmission of COVID-19 in the community, which in turn will reduce strain on the healthcare system,” Williamson said.
Data from over the weekend is expected to be released Monday afternoon. As of Friday, the province had 16,265 active cases up from 15,977 active cases as of Thursday.
Experts are skeptical Alberta’s $100 vaccine incentive will have a big impact on the province’s immunization rates, with one public health leader calling the move “worthless.”
© Provided by Edmonton Journal
Premier Jason Kenney removes his mask prior to announcing the province’s new COVID measures at McDougall Centre in Calgary on Friday, Sept. 3, 2021.
Lisa Johnson
Edmonton Journal
On Sept. 3, amid stagnant vaccination rates, Premier Jason Kenney announced anyone who gets a first or second dose of COVID-19 vaccine until Oct. 14 will be eligible to receive a $100 pre-loaded debit card.
Alberta Health has said those Albertans can begin registering for their debit cards online or by phone Monday. The latest provincial numbers show there have been slight bumps in the number of total vaccines administered in some days following the announcement, but experts say it’s difficult to attribute them to the incentive, which they say likely won’t have a huge impact.
Alberta administered 7,848 doses of vaccine Saturday and 4,129 on Sunday of the Labour Day long weekend, up from 6,435 doses on Aug. 28 and 3,317 on Aug. 29. However, the holiday Monday saw the total number of doses fall by almost half from the previous Monday. On Tuesday, they were up about nine per cent from the previous week.
Dr. James Talbot, a former Alberta chief medical officer of health and co-chairman of the Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Association’s (EZMSA) pandemic committee, told Postmedia the incentive is “worthless,” and blamed the province’s low vaccination rates on mixed messaging and a lack of effective measures from the government.
“Everything that the government has done since July 1, when they threw out all of the precautions, has led us to where we are today,” said Talbot, estimating the province is two weeks away from breaking previous pandemic highs in hospitalization and ICU numbers.
Lisa Glover, spokeswoman for Alberta Health, said in a statement Sunday that it will take time to see “the effect on people’s choices.”
Dr. Stephanie Smith, an infectious disease expert at the University of Alberta, said it doesn’t appear that there’s been a big uptick from the $100 gift card offer, but it’s early days and difficult to pinpoint people’s motivations.
“The challenge in trying to determine how much of an effect that’s had is that at the same time as that was announced, there’s a number of private companies that are also mandating vaccines,” she said.
Several large Alberta employers, from Alberta Health Services to WestJet, have brought in mandatory vaccination measures for employees , and major sports teams and venues like Rogers Place, the Edmonton Oilers and Edmonton Elks have said fans will soon need to provide proof of vaccination or a negative test to attend events.
“If there’s an increase in uptake, is it related to the $100 gift card or is it related to the fact that you now have to be vaccinated in order to go to a football game?” Smith said, adding potential barriers to access faced by marginalized people like those experiencing homelessness could affect registration for the cash incentive.
University of Alberta law professor and health policy expert Timothy Caulfield told Postmedia the paid incentive is interesting, and there is data to support the idea , but the research is mixed.
“The challenge for this government is that incentives work best on individuals that are complacent, undecided, or only somewhat hesitant. They won’t have a big impact on the hardcore deniers,” he said in an email, adding the strategy is frustrating, especially when provincial mandates and vaccine passports can help.
Talbot also pointed to the effectiveness of vaccine passports, or proof of vaccination requirements to enter non-essential spaces, in other provinces. B.C. and Ontario reported as much as a 200 per cent increase in the days following their vaccine passport announcements.
Smith said it takes about six weeks for vaccines to provide immunity, so a vaccine passport on its own won’t curb the current wave of soaring COVID-19 cases.
“For the current situation we’re in right now, and the current crisis, there’s very little that’s going to actually make a big impact in terms of bending the curve right now related to vaccine passports,” she said.
On Sept. 3, amid stagnant vaccination rates, Premier Jason Kenney announced anyone who gets a first or second dose of COVID-19 vaccine until Oct. 14 will be eligible to receive a $100 pre-loaded debit card.
Alberta Health has said those Albertans can begin registering for their debit cards online or by phone Monday. The latest provincial numbers show there have been slight bumps in the number of total vaccines administered in some days following the announcement, but experts say it’s difficult to attribute them to the incentive, which they say likely won’t have a huge impact.
Alberta administered 7,848 doses of vaccine Saturday and 4,129 on Sunday of the Labour Day long weekend, up from 6,435 doses on Aug. 28 and 3,317 on Aug. 29. However, the holiday Monday saw the total number of doses fall by almost half from the previous Monday. On Tuesday, they were up about nine per cent from the previous week.
Dr. James Talbot, a former Alberta chief medical officer of health and co-chairman of the Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Association’s (EZMSA) pandemic committee, told Postmedia the incentive is “worthless,” and blamed the province’s low vaccination rates on mixed messaging and a lack of effective measures from the government.
“Everything that the government has done since July 1, when they threw out all of the precautions, has led us to where we are today,” said Talbot, estimating the province is two weeks away from breaking previous pandemic highs in hospitalization and ICU numbers.
Lisa Glover, spokeswoman for Alberta Health, said in a statement Sunday that it will take time to see “the effect on people’s choices.”
Dr. Stephanie Smith, an infectious disease expert at the University of Alberta, said it doesn’t appear that there’s been a big uptick from the $100 gift card offer, but it’s early days and difficult to pinpoint people’s motivations.
“The challenge in trying to determine how much of an effect that’s had is that at the same time as that was announced, there’s a number of private companies that are also mandating vaccines,” she said.
Several large Alberta employers, from Alberta Health Services to WestJet, have brought in mandatory vaccination measures for employees , and major sports teams and venues like Rogers Place, the Edmonton Oilers and Edmonton Elks have said fans will soon need to provide proof of vaccination or a negative test to attend events.
“If there’s an increase in uptake, is it related to the $100 gift card or is it related to the fact that you now have to be vaccinated in order to go to a football game?” Smith said, adding potential barriers to access faced by marginalized people like those experiencing homelessness could affect registration for the cash incentive.
University of Alberta law professor and health policy expert Timothy Caulfield told Postmedia the paid incentive is interesting, and there is data to support the idea , but the research is mixed.
“The challenge for this government is that incentives work best on individuals that are complacent, undecided, or only somewhat hesitant. They won’t have a big impact on the hardcore deniers,” he said in an email, adding the strategy is frustrating, especially when provincial mandates and vaccine passports can help.
Talbot also pointed to the effectiveness of vaccine passports, or proof of vaccination requirements to enter non-essential spaces, in other provinces. B.C. and Ontario reported as much as a 200 per cent increase in the days following their vaccine passport announcements.
Smith said it takes about six weeks for vaccines to provide immunity, so a vaccine passport on its own won’t curb the current wave of soaring COVID-19 cases.
“For the current situation we’re in right now, and the current crisis, there’s very little that’s going to actually make a big impact in terms of bending the curve right now related to vaccine passports,” she said.
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