More than two years after the pandemic, Dr. Neeja Bakshi continues to give families the painful news that their loved one is dying of COVID-19.
“It’s not going anywhere. It’s hard to see that we will continue to see the devastation of this virus,” said Bakshi, an internal medicine specialist at Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton.
“It’s kind of demoralizing.”
The number of deaths related to COVID-19 in Alberta so far in 2022 is higher than in the same period of the previous years of the pandemic.
There were 1,247 deaths between January 1 and June 6 this year, compared to 1,038 during the same period last year and 152 in 2020.
“We’ve seen deaths from other viruses. We’ve seen deaths from the flu. We’ve never seen that number of deaths,” Bakshi said.
“I think the amount is still staggering for those of us in healthcare to see. That this is still a really powerful virus. This is still a virus that can cause severe devastation.”
Low absorption of the 3rd dose
Omicron has hit Alberta especially hard. If you consider both the BA.1, the original variant of Omicron and its subvariant BA.2, which passed through Alberta during the first part of 2022, has been more deadly than the Delta wave in the fall of 2021 .
Dr. Neeja Bakshi, an internal medicine specialist and physician at the COVID-19 unit in Edmonton, says patients who end up in hospital are as sick as during any previous wave. (Submitted by Neeja Bakshi)
“In this current wave, we’re seeing more deaths per capita than Ontario and Quebec,” said Dr. Daniel Gregson, an infectious disease physician and associate professor at Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary.
“With the wave of Omicron and our removal of all restrictions, we are seeing many more people become infected and as a result we are having a very large number of excess deaths compared to other years.”
Similar trends have been reported in other jurisdictions, including Massachusetts, he said.
There are several factors that contribute to the high death toll, according to Gregson, including the high volume of people who have become infected with BA.1 and BA.2 and the low absorption in the province of third-dose COVID vaccine. -19.
Anyone 12 years of age or older can book a third dose in Alberta at least five months after the second dose.
The fourth dose is available to all seniors 70 years of age or older, First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people 65 and older, and all seniors with age-appropriate care, as well as people with certain immunodepressive conditions.
However, Alberta lags behind the rest of the provinces, with only 38% of the population rolling up their sleeves for a third shot.
“Our lack of third doses has certainly played a role in our poor performance in relation to BC and Ontario,” Gregson said, noting that one in 1,000 Albertans has died from COVID-19 since the beginning. of the pandemic.
Alberta Health’s latest statistics show that over the past 120 days, mortality rates are higher in almost all age groups among unvaccinated people and those who have received two immunizations compared to those who have received three doses.
“Unfortunately, individual choice often leads to poor choices so as not to upgrade your immunization. Our biggest increase in vaccines … has been with the implementation of restrictions on people who are not fully vaccinated.”
The number of daily deaths related to COVID-19 has dropped in recent weeks, but the baseline for both deaths and hospitalizations remains stubbornly high.
“Take your shots”
Dr. Noel Gibney agrees that Alberta’s delayed vaccination rate is a key factor in the high death toll in 2022.
“COVID is not gone. It’s still out there. We need to protect ourselves. We need to protect our families and understand that full vaccination now means at least three vaccinations,” said Gibney, Professor Emeritus of Critical Medicine at the University. of Alberta.
“The bottom line is that … if you have severe comorbidities, if you’re over 50, you’re at a significant risk of getting seriously ill. And so get your injections, which also means your third injection and your fourth injection, if you are eligible “.
Dr. Daniel Gregson, an infectious disease physician at the University of Calgary, says Omicron’s high transmission rates along with Alberta’s low absorption for the third dose of COVID-19 vaccine contribute to the high numbers. of deaths by 2022. (CBC)
Doctors ask Albertans who are eligible for treatment, including Paxlovid antiviral, to try and get help immediately if they have symptoms. And they say immunocompromised people should talk to their specialists about taking Evusheld, a preventative therapy that was recently available in the province.
According to Gibney, while many people who die tend to be older, COVID is still claiming the lives of younger Albertans who do not have serious underlying health problems.
“Obviously, statistically, if you’re 20 or 30, your risk is pretty small, but it’s not zero.”
Bakshi believes that deferred health care during the previous waves of the pandemic is also playing a role in the high death toll.
“I think what we’re seeing now is a kind of amalgam of really sick patients from everything else. And then if they have COVID, the result is worse,” he said.
Gibney hopes the death toll will drop temporarily over the summer as people spend more time outdoors.
But he is worried about a resurgence in the fall, something the provincial health director has warned that Albertans should wait for.
With 4,567 lives lost in the province due to COVID-19, Gibney warns not to underestimate the current threat.
“If it were for any other reason, assuming the planes crashed, assuming we were in our cars … we would be very worried and in arms … That’s a big problem,” he said.
“And the way a lot of people are trying to deal with it is basically saying I’m not going to think about it anymore. It’s over.”