Alberta collapses: 5,181 cases in three days. An ICU patient: “Get vaccinated”

by Marzio Pelù

EDMONTON – Alberta still in full emergency: there are 5,181 new cases of Covid-19 registered in the province – which has 4,371,000 million inhabitants – over the weekend. Out of 15,989 tests carried out on Friday, 1,882 infections were confirmed; on Saturday, 1,541 cases were identified from 14,846 tests and another 1,758 infections from 15,037 tests on Sunday. 

The number of total active cases across the province therefore rose to 21,307, compared to 20,040 reported on Friday. And another 23 deaths from Covid-19 were also reported over the weekend, with the death toll from the disease in Alberta rising to 2,645.

The situation in hospitals is dramatic: on Monday there were 1,063 people hospitalized for Covid-19, 265 of them in intensive care. An impressive “jump” from the 243 patients admitted to the ICU on Friday. As of Monday, Alberta Health Services has 370 total ICU beds, including 197 additional emergency spaces – a 114 percent increase from the starting line a few weeks ago.

“AHS (Alberta Health Services) has opened 38 additional emergency critical care spaces in the past seven days,” said spokesperson Kerry Williamson. Alberta currently has 312 ICU patients, “the vast majority of whom (265, in fact) are positive for Covid-19,” said Williamson, who added: “This is the highest number of ICU patients since the beginning of the pandemic “. Indeed, the number of ICU patients has increased by 11% in the past week and Alberta’s ICU capacity is now at 84%. Without the additional space for surges, the percentage would be 180% – an unprecedented collapse. The Calgary area is 80% of current capacity, Edmonton 86% (including additional space).

Meanwhile, after the late introduction of anti-Covid restrictions by the provincial government, AHS tries to run for cover by launching a massive vaccination campaign on social networks, with photographic and video testimonies. Like the dramatic one by Bernie Cook, a 46-year-old patient who after two weeks spent in intensive care with the ventilator, from the hospital bed, with a breath of breath, launches an appeal: “Get vaccinated. Covid-19 is the darkest and most frightening thing I’ve ever encountered…”.

Here below, the tweet with the video (from AHS’s Twitter profile)