Province increases acute-care capacity ahead of flu season after record deaths last year

As flu season begins, the provincial government has taken steps to increase acute-care capacity at Alberta’s hospitals after influenza hospitalizations and deaths reached a record high last year.

Premier Danielle Smith said Saturday that the province is entering this year’s influenza season with 9,003 acute-care spaces — the largest capacity in Alberta’s history. 

Over the last few years, the province has added 221 hospital spaces, and an additional 194 temporary spaces are being prepared to be activated if required.

“As respiratory virus season sets in, people get sick, and emergency departments across Canada see more patients,” said Adriana LaGrange, minister of hospital and surgical health services.

“No health system can eliminate these seasonal surges entirely. But what we can do, and what we have done, is build a system that is flexible.”

In addition to working with Assisted Living Alberta (ALA) to transition patients out of hospitals and into continuing care, Acute Care Alberta (ACA) has launched a Provincial Integrated Operations Centre that aims to better coordinate hospital capacity and resources. 

A Triage Liaison Physician program launched last week will also bring physicians and nurse practitioners into emergency department waiting rooms to assess patients earlier, order tests and imaging, and begin treatment sooner, LaGrange said. 

The physicians and nurses will also help identify patients with worsening symptoms before they’re called into an examination room.

“These are practical changes that can make a real difference for patients and help support the health-care teams that already are working in our emergency departments,” LaGrange said.

Last year, the province experienced its deadliest flu season on record with more than 20,000 cases and 282 deaths. 

Influenza deaths have been on the rise over the last several years, while immunizations rates have declined.

During last year’s flu season, 1,036,154 immunizations were administered — the lowest since the 2012-2013 season. 

The province was criticized for insufficient and confusing messaging around vaccines, and changes that reduced the number of places where Albertans could receive some immunizations, with some medical experts saying it placed additional strain on already near-capacity hospitals and emergency rooms.

The changes included a pre-ordering system that aimed to better project the number of doses needed and limit waste.

So far this season, 1,052 influenza cases and five deaths have been reported, and nearly 79,000 immunizations have been administered.

Last month, the province launched its fall immunization program, which expanded eligibility for RSV vaccines and, unlike last year, allows for COVID-19 vaccines to be administered at pharmacies.

“Part of the reason for that was that they’re now in individual vials, and so there’s going to be less wastage,” Smith said, adding that last year, wasted doses were brought down from more than 50 per cent to around 20 per cent.

“We made sure that, with our vaccination program, that it is targeted to the most at-risk individuals,” Smith said.

LaGrange said last year’s influenza vaccine was more effective against Influenza B than Influenza A, with Influenza A being the more severe strain, which contributed to the high number of deaths and hospitalizations.

“We’re hoping that this year there is a better match to the vaccines to what we will see in influenza coming forward,” she said. “We always hope for the best, but we are prepared for worst-case scenarios.”

LaGrange said preventative measures, including immunization, are “extremely important.”

“We know that, particularly people who have autoimmune disorders, have complex health needs, that are elderly — they tend to be more susceptible to viruses … so being prepared, making the choices that they want for themselves and their families is extremely important,” she said. 

“That being said, we have seen right across Canada that the uptake on certain vaccines is less than 40 per cent, and that needs to be addressed. So we have strong campaigns to get that out to people and make it as easily accessible as possible.”