Dr. Verna Yiu says the 247 people being cared for in Alberta ICU's is the highest amount the province has ever seen (Courtesy of Alberta Health / Government of Alberta)

By Shaun Penner

COVID's Impact

Alberta’s ICUs seeing record occupancy amid COVID-19’s third wave

May 17, 2021 | 4:27 PM

Alberta Health Services’ President and CEO says Alberta Intensive Care Units are currently filled to the highest level they have ever seen.

Dr. Verna Yiu made that claim Monday during an update on COVID-19 in the province, alongside Premier Jason Kenney and Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw.

Yiu pointed out that as of Saturday night, there were 186 Alberta in an ICU with COVID-19, adding to those others in an ICU for non-COVID reasons to total 247 patients in an ICU in Alberta.

“That is easily the most ICU patients that we have ever seen in our health care system, and definitely high than what we’ve seen in waves one and two.”

Yiu says there are currently 222 Albertans on a ventilator, with over half of those being utilized by ICU patients.

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With the sharp rise in COVID-19 cases over the past month, ICU admissions have followed suit as they have more than doubled in that time.

Yiu says the province would have surpassed its baseline capacity, which is about 170 ICU beds in Alberta pre-pandemic, had it not made available an additional 106 ICU bed spaces.

“Our ICU teams are providing incredible life-saving care to those patients, but it’s important to keep in mind that they have been doing this for more than 15 months through three significant waves,” said Yiu.

“They are understandably tired, and we should all take pause to appreciate the work that they are doing.”

Though new cases have begun to flatten in Alberta, Yiu points to hospitalizations lagging by about two weeks, meaning she expects hospitalization rates to continue to climb over that time.

She says the province can increase its capacity to a total of 425 ICU beds, though not all would be staffed beds.

Yiu adds having adequate staffing for those ICU beds is already a challenge.

“This is certainly more difficult than it was in the first or second waves.”

Yiu noted ICU capacity has been particularly stretched in the North Zone, adding that since May 9 there have been 14 patients from the North Zone which have needed to be taken Edmonton hospitals for higher care.

She says five of those patients were from Fort McMurray, three from Lac la Biche, three from Cold Lake, and one each from Grande Prairie, St. Paul and Edson.

“Twelve of the 14 patients were COVID-19 positive,” said Yiu. “All of the 14 transfers were related to hospital capacity pressures.”

She adds for context in February and March on this year, an average of three patients per week were transferred from the North Zone to Edmonton hospitals.

As of May 15, Hospitalizations had dropped to 75 in the North Zone after reaching a pandemic high of 100 on May 10. As of that same date, 15 people are in an ICU in the North Zone.