Via CBC News: Alberta physicians call for 'sharp' two-week lockdown to curb spread of COVID-19. Alberta is often considered the most "American" of our provinces in its dislike of taxation and government regulation. Excerpt:
With COVID-19 cases increasing dramatically, a group of physicians from across the province is calling on the Alberta government to impose an immediate two-week emergency lockdown.
In a letter sent Monday to Premier Jason Kenney, Health Minister Tyler Shandro and Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical officer of health, the group warned that the province's acute-care system could soon be overburdened if no extra restrictions are imposed.
"We believe that the conversation should not be framed as a choice between 'lockdown' akin to the prolonged experience in April-June, or no mandatory restrictions," said the letter, signed by more than 70 physicians.
"Instead, the province should consider a two-week short, sharp lockdown, or 'circuit-breaker,' to drop the effective reproductive number and allow contact tracing to catch up. We believe it is time we had clear direction from our provincial government. We need rules not suggestions."
The letter urged political and health leaders to "show the leadership the moment requires" in order to stave off further crisis and loss of life.
After the two-week lockdown, the letter said, the province could turn to "targeted regional control measures" similar to those in Manitoba, Ontario and British Columbia, which have sliding scales of restrictions based on the number of cases, hospital admissions and the capacity of its intensive care units.
Signatories of the letter include intensive care physicians, emergency physicians, general internists, pulmonologists, infectious disease specialists and family doctors.
Kenney has refused to enact any new lockdowns, arguing the measures could hurt the economy and affect people's mental health. He has continued to urge Albertans to take personal responsibility and follow guidelines.
The premier repeated that message at a news conference with Hinshaw on Friday.
Dr. Noel Gibney, professor emeritus at the University of Alberta's school of medicine, said Kenney's responses prompted him to write the letter and circulate it among physicians in Alberta.
"It's just such a jarring response at a time when clearly the information is that this is getting bad," he said. "And the premier's response was to say, 'Well, behave yourselves.' It's kind of like a father to teenagers. 'Behave yourself or you'll get time out.'"
Over the last three weeks, the letter said, the numbers of cases, hospitalizations and ICU admissions have dramatically increased, with the latter two numbers hitting an all-time high over the weekend.
On Sunday, Alberta Health reported 727 new cases. But on its website, the province noted that was "preliminary data and subject to reconciliation."
Alberta Health reported 644 new cases on Monday, with 192 people in hospital, including 39 patients in ICU.
Consequences could be 'catastrophic,' letter warns
"If this rate of increase continues unabated, our acute care health system will be overrun in the near future," the letter said.
"There have been advances in the care of critically ill COVID-19 patients based on research over the last nine months that have resulted in significant reductions in mortality and time to recovery. However, if the rate of COVID-19 spread continues, the consequences to the people of Alberta will be catastrophic."
