No local cases of COVID-19 have been hospitalized
By GILLIAN SLADE on March 27, 2020.
gslade@medicinehatnews.com@MHNGillianSlade Alberta Health Services says there are no COVID-cases hospitalized yet in Medicine Hat. Dr. Shobhit Maruti, medical officer of health AHS south zone, says Medicine Hat has no COVID-19 cases in hospital. Four of the five confirmed cases in Medicine Hat were returning travellers and they strictly followed all the guidelines. One, announced Thursday, was not specified to the News. Maruti points out that while numbers in the south zone may seem low compared to other areas of the province we also have a lower population density. We are also in a pandemic where things are rapidly evolving. As more people return home from travels and continue with the 14-days self-isolation we could see the numbers changing. Others may have been tested already and are awaiting results. Dr. Paul Parks, local emergency physician, says there are many more cases in the community. “I can tell you that it is safe to assume that for every positive (test) in Alberta there are at least 10 to 15 that have the virus because of contact and don’t know it,” said Parks. “Any positives in Alberta are just the tip of the iceberg.” This should be a warning to everyone that if they go out they are likely to get it, said Parks. Maruti reminds people that you can’t have visitors when self-isolating. If you have symptoms of COVID-19 you should assume you are positive and follow the required protocols to self-isolate. If we don’t take these precautions the numbers will just continue to grow. “The curve that we see in Alberta is a curve that looks similar to other countries in the world that haven’t got it fully under control,” said Parks. Medicine Hat Regional Hospital is well prepared and the circumstances are currently the “calm before the storm,” said Parks. “Our teams are getting prepared. I think it is going to stress our system and there will be difficult times but we are absolutely getting prepared,” said Parks. Nobody with COVID-19 symptoms should go to the emergency department but rather stay home and call Health Link 811 or do the online assessment through Alberta Health Services. The emergency department at Medicine Hat Regional Hospital is nevertheless busy. Parks says that in the last month he’s seen numerous patients with influenza and other viruses. Parks has recently done a number of 14 and 16-hour shifts in the emergency department sometimes filling in for others who are who are not well. He says health-care providers are aware that as time goes on more and more will be ill and others will have to step in to fill the gaps. “We are going to step up. We’re going to do it,” said Parks. “The likelihood that I or any of my colleagues may fall sick due to the current pandemic is an ever-growing possibility.” 18-17
