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Alberta taking several steps to limit Omicron strain on hospitals

EDMONTON, AB – The Alberta Government has announced several actions to try and prevent any further strain of the medical system in the province amidst the Omicron wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The provincial government says the first change will see existing hospital beds get allocated for COVID-19 care, with additional beds being made available as needed in Edmonton and Calgary.

“Hospitalizations continue to rise, but we have the benefit of seeing how Omicron has played out in other jurisdiction. That is why we are taking decisive action now to help our healthcare system respond to the growing demand rising Omicron cases will bring,” says Premier Jason Kenney.

Kenney says some 45% of non-ICU Omicron hospitalizations are incidental, the growing overall numbers will impact our hospitals, so these measures are a common-sense strategy to help our healthcare system cope.

Primary Care Networks across Alberta will also be partnering with Alberta Health Services to provide community resources managing COVID-19 at home. The partnership has or will lead to the use of virtual call-in lines or COVID-19 clinics in select communities that will be available to screen, assess, and direct people with mild and moderate COVID-19 symptoms.

Finally, the province says AHS will be implementing alternate team-based care models across Alberta as necessary, meaning, that instead of individual healthcare providers caring for smaller groups, a team of health professionals collectively cares for a larger group of patients.

The provincial government says approximately 610 nursing students have joined the AHS team and will work and get educational credit for assisting through this wave.

(Written by Lichael Lumsden, Vista Radio)

Patrick Siedlecki
Patrick Siedlecki
Pat has been a mainstay in the CJOC News department from the time the station launched in 2007. He's been in the position of News Director since then and has been anchoring daily news casts as well as reporting and working behind the scenes. Community is important to him and keeping CJOC listeners and readers informed about what's happening across southern Alberta and beyond. Pat has been in radio broadcasting for the past 24 years, starting in Port Alberni on Vancouver Island in 1997 and then moving up island to Nanaimo for another few years before heading to Lethbridge in 2007. Pat grew up in the small Saskatchewan farming town of Foam Lake. After high school, he went to Western Academy Broadcasting College (WABC) in Saskatoon prior to moving to the island. Pat also spent several years broadcasting hockey in the BCHL as well as seven years as the radio voice of the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the WHL. Pat has been working at Cornerstone Funeral Home in Lethbridge as a Certified Life Celebrant and Funeral Assistant since 2016. News and sports have always been Pat's passion from the time he was a teenager and he's always been grateful to have had the opportunity to make that part of what's been a fun and long radio career!
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