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'Tragic milestone': 500 Albertans have died from COVID-19

AHS increases beds for COVID-19 patients, restricts acute care access
Hinshaw
Alberta Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw speaks at COVID-19 press conference.

As Alberta reaches 500 COVID-19 deaths, Alberta Health services is bracing for more cases by making 400 ICU beds and 2,000 acute care beds available to COVID-19 patients.

On Wednesday afternoon, Alberta Chief Medical officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said the province has reached a grim milestone of 500 deaths, with another 1,265 COVID-19 cases diagnosed overnight.

“This is a tragic milestone. My sympathies go out to the loved ones and friends of these individuals who are mourning the lives lost during what is a very difficult time to grieve,” Hinshaw said.

The province conducted around 15,600 tests in the last 24 hours with an 8.1-per-cent positivity rate. The nine deaths reported Wednesday occurred between Nov. 7 and Nov. 24 with five of the people having comorbidities.

Overall, the province has 13,719 active cases with 355 people in the hospital and 71 in intensive care. Alberta has passed 50,000 COVID-19 infections since the beginning of the pandemic, which accounts for 1.2 per cent of Albertans.

As COVID-19 surges, the province has readied even more hospital space. Some of the beds are new, while others are existing beds made available by reducing non-urgent surgeries and moving patients to continuing care centres or other hospitals.

"These steps are being taken to make sure that there is sufficient capacity to meet the growing health-care need," Hinshaw said.

AHS visitor access

Effective today, AHS will be changing the rules around visitor access to acute care hospitals that have outbreaks and in communities under enhanced status.

This includes having one designated family or support person permitted under specific circumstances. For maternity patients, there is one designated family or support person permitted.

For pediatrics and critical care, there are up to two designated family or support persons allowed. For end-of-life visitation, there will be one designated family or support person allowed, with other visitors needing to prearrange with the site.

Exceptions to the rules

On Wednesday, Hinshaw clarified some of the measures that were put in place on Tuesday by the provincial government, stating that the ban on indoor gathering does not include services like babysitters or home care. The new rules also do not apply to coparenting arrangements.

"Raising your family is not a social gathering," Hinshaw said.

Those who plan on hosting outdoor gatherings under the new 10-person cap are not allowed to have guests enter the home to go to the bathroom or get snacks, as that will then constitute an indoor gathering, Hinshaw said.

Those who live part-time in one household and part-time in another may continue to do so under the new rules, but Hinshaw advised Albertans to not find ways to break the rules.

“Please do not ignore the measures that may seem inconvenient for you,” Hinshaw said.

Those who live alone may have two people that they can have close contact with, but they must be the same people for the duration of the restrictions.

"We do not want these people to feel socially isolated," Hinshaw said.

Jennifer Henderson is the Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for Great West Newspapers, covering rural Alberta issues.

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Jennifer Henderson

About the Author: Jennifer Henderson

Jennifer Henderson is the editor of the St. Albert Gazette and has been with Great West Media since 2015
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