After a month-long downward trend, the trend for COVID-19 hospitalizations in Alberta began a slight upward trend again after December 25, 2022.
As of January 4, the number of COVID hospitalizations had been raised to 912 across the province. This is a net increase of two in the time period from December 20, 2022. There were 40 COVID ICU patients, a net increase of seven.
Provincial ICU capacity, including surge beds, stood at 87 percent on January 6.
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COVID-19 was reported as the cause of 63 more deaths, taking the total number of deaths from the pandemic to 5,415.
The seven-day average positivity rate of PCR tests increased by over 2.4 points to 15.66 per cent. This number has been increasing since December 18, 2022.
Graph of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Alberta through the end of October 2022.
Alberta Health
And in the last week of testing, 2,051 cases were detected by PCR testing, more than double the number in the week ending December 19, 2022.
Beginning in 2022, molecular testing has been limited to people at clinical risk of catching COVID-19 or who live and/or work in high-risk settings.
There are eight acute care facilities in the province. Current COVID-19 OutbreakAnnounced when it is determined that at least one person has caught the virus.
Edmonton’s Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital declared an outbreak on December 29, 2022, when three patients tested positive.
Misericordia Community Hospital has had an ongoing outbreak in four units since October 5, with the most recent being announced on January 4 when 10 people tested positive in one unit.
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Four outbreaks were declared at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in the new year: two on 3 January when seven in one unit and five in another unit tested positive, and two on 6 January when four patients in one unit and five in another The test was positive.
And Westview Health Center in Stony Plain, Alta., declared an outbreak on December 28, 2022, when four patients and three health care workers tested positive for COVID-19.
‘Kraken’ on the horizon
On Wednesday, the province confirmed it had detected four cases of the XBB.1.5 omicron subvariant, which officials around the world say is the most transmissible variant to date, which was found to be more immunogenic than omicron .
Subvariants such as XBB.1.5, nicknamed “Kraken”, are genetically sequenced from PCR test swabs.
The subvariant that has seen a rocket-like trajectory in areas such as the northeastern United States is a viral recombination of the BA.2 subvariants.
A spokesperson for Alberta Health confirmed that the “Kraken” subvariant would be counted under BA.2 sublineage reporting online.
Since December 26, 2022, the percentage of confirmed cases shows an increase in the BA.2 sublineage and a decrease in BA.5, the Omicron lineage that has been dominant in the province since early July 2022.
“We encourage Albertans to stay up to date on their vaccinations,” a spokesperson for Alberta Health said Wednesday.
Also on Wednesday, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Mark Joffe announced the availability of the Pfizer bivalent vaccine booster for children aged five to 11 and the Novavax shot was available for children aged 12 to 17.
The province advises Albertans to wait five months after their last vaccination or infection before getting a second dose, but according to the latest data from the Public Health Agency of Canada, less than 15 percent of Albertans were vaccinated from June to November . This number is the lowest among all the provinces.
Only 40.9 per cent of Alberta residents have received their third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and about half of those have received their fourth dose. The province opens the third dose in September 2021 and the fourth dose becomes widely available in April 2022.
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Experts say vaccines prevent severe illness and hospitalization, and may help reduce transmission of COVID-19. vaccines can be booked onlineHealth Link by calling 811 or visiting your local pharmacy,
“Wearing a mask, especially in crowded indoor settings, can help reduce the risk of getting sick and protect others from exposure,” said Alberta Health.
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