ALBERTA SEES HISTORIC DEMAND FOR PARAMEDICS......AHS( Alberta Health Services)

By Chandrayee Roy Choudhury, Canada: According to Alberta Health Services, EMS has experienced a 30 per cent increase in emergency calls. The health authority said this increase has occurred “over the past several months.”

  COVID-19 and opioid patients are driving that demand with a large number of inter-facility patient transports of people with the virus.

Extreme weather is also playing a role, with both the record hot summer and dangerously cold winter leading to more weather-related 911 calls.

    A red alert or “code red” refers to times when there aren’t any ambulances available to respond to calls.

The union said on Monday there were more than a dozen red alerts in the Edmonton area. Those usually aren’t called unless there is a major disaster.

AHS admits there have been staff illnesses and fatigue.

“It is important to note that the current situation is not unique to Alberta, with EMS pressures being felt by all Canadian provinces, including British Columbia, as well as internationally,” Alberta Health Services (AHS)said.