Canada: Alberta healthcare system on verge of collapse as Covid cases and anti-vax sentiments rise

A province that has long boasted of its loose coronavirus restrictions has also been the site of North America’s highest caseloads.

In a province with a long history of skepticism towards government, the pandemic has become fertile ground for protests and anti-vaccine rhetoric, including from elected officials, firefighters and police officers.

During the ongoing federal election, the People’s Party of Canada, a fringe rightwing party that has come out against public health measures has seen its largest support base in rural Alberta.

“As soon as those breathing tubes come out, we’re kicking people out of ICU to make space for someone else,” said another nurse.

While these rates dwarf those in the United States, the relentless spread of the Delta variant highlights how catastrophic outbreaks can occur if even a tiny fraction of the population resist public health measures.

He says mounting pressure from a voter base skeptical of public health restrictions led officials to declare Alberta “open for summer” on 1 July and removed many of the mitigation measures they had in place.

The government also said it would no longer require people testing positive for Covid-19 to isolate – a plan it quickly scrapped.

One nurse pointed to the bitter irony that those most skeptical of public health measures are those most affected by the current wave.

“All these decisions from the government are clearly to satisfy their voter base,” she said

“I don’t have the energy to make sense of it any more,” said the nurse