A Calgary-based doctor is going to court to stop the Alberta Health Service from rescinding its continued mask-wearing policy.
On Thursday, state health officials announced that AHS facilities, continuous care facilities, and contracted facilities will no longer be required to wear masks after Monday. This includes sites for Alberta Precision Laboratories, Covenant Health, CapitalCare and Carewest.
Founded by Dr. David Keegan crowdfunding campaign Raised $20,000 to file a court injunction against AHS lifting its on-site mask requirements on June 19. The donation reached its target amount within 24 hours.
Keegan tweeted Thursday at 4:01 p.m. that he had hired a senior attorney and that the lawsuit was “moving forward.”
Keegan said they are trying to look out for patients, staff and the public.
“Anyone on AHS premises, we can rely on our air and we must take reasonable steps to keep it safe,” he told Global News.
“We know that the new coronavirus is airborne. It spreads like cigarette smoke, and when people stop wearing masks, the air becomes infected and polluted. “
The concern is particularly high for people with weakened immune systems, such as infants and cancer patients, who are much more likely to experience severe outcomes from COVID-19.
“Patients are encouraged to discuss masks, hand hygiene, or other factors the patient feels are important to their care with their healthcare provider,” AHS said.
But Keegan said it was impractical to ask nurses and doctors to wear masks for sick people on stretchers.
“I’m not sure people really understand the power gap that exists between healthy providers and sick patients,” says Keegan. “And I have lived and walked that path.
“It is unacceptable to hold people with disabilities and chronic diseases accountable for basic measures to protect them when only very small, reasonable, and easily enforceable accommodations need to be maintained. you can’t.”
according to Latest AHS Infection Prevention and Control Annual Report, Hospitalized patients with COVID-19 mainly acquired community-acquired infections. However, at the beginning of 2022, “compared to Q3 2021 (October-December), the rate of hospital-acquired infections increased sharply from 2.12 to 14.54 per 10,000 patient-days.”
A recent paper from the Canadian Hospital Infection Surveillance Program also stated: In the 5th and 6th waves in the first half of 2022, the number of new coronavirus infections in hospitals nationwide increased..
“Despite the decline in serious outcomes in waves 5 and 6, the burden of COVID-19 on Canadian hospitals was substantial,” the report said.
It was at the same time that the highly contagious Omicron submutant became dominant in the state and country.
The President of the Alberta Nurses Federation expressed concern about how changes in AHS policy could affect the health and well-being of nurses, both from COVID-19 and from the general public.
Heather Smith said the policy change “in no way removes the safety obligations of workers to ensure the safety of patients, residents and customers and to wear appropriate personal protective equipment under the circumstances. No,’ he said.
Smith noted that Alberta’s latest data release on the pandemic showed 352 people in all AHS zones were hospitalized with the novel coronavirus.
The UNA president was also concerned about the message the policy on mask use would send: the perception that “everything is fine, health workers don’t have to (wear masks)”.
“And I’m worried about the backlash of ‘why are you wearing them?’ ”
UNA has a PPE Agreement with AHS, which will enter into force in 2020 and will be revised in 2021. Smith said this week that he was also reassured by AHS, which he characterized as very good at procuring and maintaining adequate PPE supplies.
She said Albertans should not hesitate to seek medical care as a result of the change in mask policy.
“We have an obligation not only to keep ourselves safe, but to keep the public safe,” Smith said. “I recommend including masking in that as well.”
AHS said the decision to remove mandatory mask-wearing in healthcare settings was based on multiple factors, including Alberta’s decline in COVID-19 cases, wastewater data and hospitalization rates for respiratory illnesses.
The provider said it consulted with stakeholders, including patients, families, advisory boards, clinicians and frontline administrators, before making the decision.
AHS said people are welcome to wear masks if they wish, but it is not required.
AHS added that it will closely monitor COVID-19 data to see if changes to the new policy are necessary.
Keegan announced on Twitter on Friday that he had hired a lawyer and the case would go ahead.
“We ask that mask-wearing mandates continue until a full review of the impact on disability has been carried out and remedial measures have been implemented,” he wrote directly to AHS in a tweet.
He’s also skeptical of the guarantees that all AHS HVAC systems can provide enough fresh air.
“The point is, you don’t know until you test it in a real situation,” the doctor said.
Keegan said he measured CO2 levels during a 10-minute patient visit, a proxy for indoor air freshness. During that time, the level doubled from 600ppm to 1,200ppm, which clearly indicated a lack of fresh air exchange, he said.
“You can’t just assume you’re safe until you know that everywhere is safe and the air quality is great,” he says.
“Our duty is to provide a safe space for patients to receive care, and for staff, doctors, contractors, learners, and others who may be in the area. is to do.”
States such as BC, Saskatchewan and Manitoba have abolished mask-wearing requirements in medical settings.
California took similar steps in April, but Bay Area hospitals Mask policy had to be reinstated after COVID-19 outbreak.
