Alberta to send adults to Edmonton’s Stollery Children’s ICU as COVID-19 hospitalizations surge Nephrologist Dr. Branko Braam says the situation has become so dire, his hospital has had to open a COVID-19 ward and health-care staff who have never worked in that type of unit are having to step in and help treat patients.“The situation is now so bad that they’re going to open the forced COVID ward in the hospital.“That means, essentially, that the kidney disease people are going to cover a ward where we never have worked to be able to have sufficient people power to care for the patients that are ill.“And, it disrupts the rest of the work.