Thread by @DocSeanW

I recently visited with some #Lethbridge ICU nurses about their pandemic 4th wave experience. A hospital is a very siloed work environment, so my experience in the ER can be quite different from that in the ICU. Here are some of the things they would like the public to know: 1/9

First, a big thank-you to everyone in the community who has expressed their support and kindness through the cards, gifts and words of encouragement the unit has received. This includes the silent majority of community members who trust and respect health professionals, 2/9
#yql

and are doing what they can to protect themselves and others from Covid-19. Also those willing to speak out about their experiences with #COVID19Ab, and counter the rampant misinformation around us. 3/9

Second, they want you to know the pandemic is real, and so is the overwhelming strain on ICU staff, space and resources. This is not media spin, political propaganda, or a scare campaign to convince people to be vaccinated. 4/9

They describe the past 6 weeks as a whirlwind of patients critically ill due to Covid-19. They have struggled to provide the usual level of care for individual patients, find space to accommodate more, and have rarely had time to sit down and catch their breath. 5/9

Third, most Covid ICU patients in Lethbridge are not from the city- most are from outlying rural communities around the city. This is consistent with the same pattern we are seeing in the ER and is directly related to the much lower vaccination rates in rural areas. 6/9

Fourth, they share my concern that our current trajectory is not sustainable with the ongoing high average new daily case rate. Close to 1% of all the new cases announced each day eventually need ICU care. 7/9

There are currently people in our ICU who have been there more than 21 days due to Covid complications. While some recover more quickly, and some die more quickly, long ICU stays are common for this disease. 8/9

With future admissions expected from every day's new cases, and many taking a bed for weeks on end, more space will continue to be needed unless something changes.
Thank-you to our hard working ICU doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and support staff across the province! 9/9