ER doctors react to government easing restrictions

As Alberta prepares to ease restrictions, Taylor Braat speaks with two ER doctors on the approach to use hospitalization numbers as a baseline.

CALGARY (CityNews) – Alberta will soon be easing restrictions dependent on how many people are in hospital due to COVID-19, but this approach is raising concerns for some doctors.

Dr. Shazma Mithani is an emergency room physician in Edmonton and believes it’s too soon to start lifting restrictions.

“It feels rushed to be totally honest, we’re only just starting to get our hospital and case numbers under control. We still have over 500 people in hospital and over 100 people in ICU and these are the same numbers that we had when we were starting to think of shutting down when healthcare workers were calling for stronger restriction measures.”

On Friday, the provincial government announced the first phase of easing restrictions – reopening restaurants and gyms with stringent protocols on Feb. 8 – but only if there are less than 600 people in hospital with COVID-19.

WATCH: Will restrictions be enough?

“As soon as you start opening things up, we know that transmission is going to increase and our case numbers will go up,” said Mithani.

“But if we do this at a time when our healthcare system is much more stable and when we have more info about the variants showing up here and around the world, it’s going to be a much more controlled reopening.”

That’s why she said a few more weeks of the current restrictions could lower our case numbers to a place where we do have that control.

Dr. Joe Vipond agrees and said this approach doesn’t include those with short term illness, or those suffering from the virus who aren’t admitted to hospital.

“I’ve seen lots of people who’ve just gotten sick with COVID, not sick enough to come into the hospital, but sick at home. There’s value in trying to minimize that as well. A large number of the deaths that occur are not happening in hospital. These are people in long term care facilities or those at home who die at home.”

Premier Kenney said hospital numbers also have to be decreasing in order to continue the easing of restrictions. Dr. Mithani said the focus of the government should be solely on eradicating the virus.

“We’re so close to COVID zero that that should be our goal now.”

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