Relief.
That is what I feel today after the measures that Government introduced yesterday evening. I'm glad that the health of Albertans and our healthcare system is being made the priority. Now, as HCWs, we can finally focus solely on taking care of patients. /1
That is what I feel today after the measures that Government introduced yesterday evening. I'm glad that the health of Albertans and our healthcare system is being made the priority. Now, as HCWs, we can finally focus solely on taking care of patients. /1
To be clear, this is not to dismiss the importance of our economy, but right now, our priority MUST be the preservation of a functioning healthcare system. The biggest threat to our economy would be continuing to allow COVID to spread unchecked. /2
I am thrilled to see a province-wide mandatory mask mandate. This is a simple and easy step to help stop the spread of COVID-19. I am also happy to see *most* services being closed. /3
Notably, places of worship continue to remain open at 15% capacity, which can still mean hundreds of people congregating in one building. I encourage faith leaders to do the right thing and voluntarily move to virtual services until we can get a handle on this virus. /4
I also encourage all Albertans and businesses NOT to wait until Dec 13 to start following these rules. Don't go rush out to bars and restaurants to get one last social gathering in before the weekend. These next few days could still have a significant impact on case numbers. /5
At the end of this 4 weeks, when measures are re-evaluated, I hope that concrete metrics are examined to make decisions on next steps. This should not be a time-based decision. It should include multiple metrics, such as R-value, case numbers, hospital capacity, etc. /6
A lockdown was the only solution to this rapid rise in cases, but we still aren't in the clear. The last several weeks of over 1000 cases/day and the next 2 weeks of likely even higher numbers will still place immense strain on our healthcare system. /7
The # of cases, hospitalizations (incl. ICU), and deaths will get much worse before they get better (likely not until the new year). We are resting up as best we can and bracing for this extreme stress on our system. I can only hope that it doesn't break. Please stay safe. /8
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