Alberta hospitals battle wave of sick children as viral illnesses surge – CBC
Posted wait times have spiked to 17 hours since late September as pediatric hospital admissions rise
Nov 14, 2022
Children’s hospitals in Alberta are under intense pressure as they deal with an influx of sick kids and a growing number who are seriously ill.
Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary and the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton are battling a deluge of viral illnesses including influenza, RSV and common cold viruses.
They’re also seeing some cases of COVID-19.
“This is by far the busiest pediatric emergency departments across the country have probably ever been,” said Dr. Stephen Freedman, a professor of pediatrics and emergency medicine at the University of Calgary.
“When you combine [ongoing staffing shortages] with very high volumes of children seeking emergency department care and the acuity, which is quite high, that really is leading to emergency departments that are bursting at the seams.”
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/wait-times-childrens-hospital-1.6648541
