Lethbridge psychiatrist succumbs to COVID-19
Lethbridge psychiatrist Dr. Wayne John Edwards is the second Alberta doctor to die due to COVID-19.
Edwards, 66, is being remembered for his commitment to the field of medicine and his love of music.
“With great sorrow, we recognize the death of a Lethbridge physician related to COVID-19,” the Alberta Medical Association said in a tweet Thursday.
“So many Albertans have lost loved ones and friends to this terrible disease. The physician community joins in mourning a colleague and leader of his health community.”
Edwards died at the Chinook Regional Hospital on Tuesday, according to his obituary in Lethbridge News Now. His death marks the seventh fatality of a healthcare worker in Alberta due to COVID-19.
Edwards and his family moved to Lethbridge in 2003, where they became Canadian citizens two years later, according to his obituary. He was born in Trinidad and immigrated to Canada in 1995.
He earned his medical degree in Jamaica at the University of the West Indies and received a government scholarship to study psychiatry in London from 1983 to 1988, where he pursued his postgraduate degree.
Edwards practised in hospital, at a private clinic, the Children’s Mental Health Clinic, the Adult Mental Health Clinic, and the University of Lethbridge.
Edwards also previously worked in Nova Scotia from 1995 to 2002, according to his obituary. It cited his love of playing piano, organ and steel drum, as well as his involvement in the music ministry at St. Augustine’s Anglican Church.
He is survived by his wife, two sons and his parents.
Alberta Health said the source of Edwards’ COVID-19 exposure is unknown.
Health Minister Tyler Shandro shared his condolences on social media, tweeting that “the tragedy of this loss will be felt across the system.”
A physician from Calgary was the first Alberta doctor to die from COVID-19 in January.
Psychiatrists and many other Alberta physicians were not eligible to receive their first vaccine dose until earlier this week.
The family of Edwards confirmed he was not yet eligible to receive his vaccination at the time he contracted COVID-19.