Global National: Dec. 1, 2020 | Fears COVID-19 patients could overwhelm Alberta’s health care system

On this episode of Global National: December is now upon us and though we hoped the pandemic would be over by now, the reality is that in many parts of Canada the COVID-19 crisis is getting worse. In Alberta, where the government was slow to impose even moderate restrictions, case numbers are skyrocketing and the strain of the health care system is becoming acute. Hospitals are running out of space and staff, with Calgary hospitals being told to conserve their supplies of oxygen. There’s fear a tsunami of patients are coming to hospitals where staff are already exhausted, running out of room and facing life and death decisions. Heather Yourex-West has our top story.

We know the virus is most lethal in elderly people. Across Canada the majority of deaths have been in long-term care. In B.C., long-term care homes are again the centre of outbreaks. As Robin Gill explains, that has led to calls for a new approach.

We have new details tonight about Canada’s plans for a vaccine roll-out. The Prime Minister says he expects the majority of Canadians to be vaccinated by next September. But long before then, tricky decisions will have to be made about who gets it first. The government is getting advice from an advisory committee and it has ranked who should get priority when the first vaccine is approved. Abigail Bimman explains.

The prime minister and senior cabinet members are being scrutinized over their handling of the pandemic response. The federal government is spending more money than ever before to support Canadian individuals and businesses and that will result in record levels of debt. The opposition accuses the government of spending until the cupboards are bare. Ottawa Bureau Chief Mercedes Stephenson looks at the financial side of the country's COVID-19 response.

In the U.S. a crush of COVID-19 patients is testing the health care system. Nearly 100,000 Americans are hospitalized with the virus and there are warning of a surge on top of a surge as people socialized over Thanksgiving get sick. As some point hospitals are going to have to turn sick people away. Jackson Proskow reports.

In England, a national four-week lockdown ends tomorrow but any relief is being tempered by the reality a new three-tiered system of restrictions will replace it. As Redmond Shannon reports, that has led to confusion and complaints.

It’s the first day of December and there’s no doubt we’re all in need of something positive and festive to look forward to this year. The reality is that we may not see our friends and family this holiday season. Mike Drolet looks at how Christmas traditions are changing in the time of COVID.

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