Alberta COVID-19 hospitalizations decline continues, 46 deaths added
Alberta now has 554 people in hospital with COVID-19, 15 of whom are receiving care in ICUs.
That is a decrease of 21 hospitalizations and one ICU admission compared to last week's update.
The last time Alberta's hospitalization numbers were this low was Jul. 15, when 553 people were admitted.
Alberta Health data is routinely updated for accuracy and to account for reporting delays. Last week’s hospital numbers were retroactively increased from 575 to 595.
According to the province, 239 of the 595 people in hospital with COVID-19 last week were hospitalized for reasons directly related to the virus, while the other 356 people were admitted for other reasons, but incidentally tested positive. In the ICU, 38 per cent of patients were being treated because of COVID-19.
Alberta’s total number of COVID-19-related deaths went up by 46. Of the new deaths reported, eight were retroactively added to 2022, while 38 were added to this year. Six of those 38 deaths belong to this week.
Since its last data update, Alberta Health has counted 385 new COVID-19 cases in 4,765 PCR tests. That is a decrease of 42 cases and 345 tests compared to last week's update.
The number of new cases is likely higher because of testing limitations and because the province doesn't count positive results from rapid tests.
The average positivity rate is now at 8.47 per cent.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
On Feb. 27, 2021, 254 Albertans were hospitalized with COVID-19. In 2022, 1,256 patients were in hospital with the virus, while there were 554 people this year.
In 2021, there were 45 people with COVID-19 in intensive care on Feb. 27, compared to last year's 81 and this year's 15.
It is not known how many people in 2020 and 2021 were hospitalized and admitted to the ICU because of the virus versus people who were admitted for other reasons and incidentally tested positive, as that statistic was only made available by Alberta Health as of February 2022.
Alberta had 1,213 COVID-19-related deaths in 2020 and 2,106 in 2021. Last year had the highest number of fatalities, with 2,112.
There have been 171 COVID-19-related deaths to date, bringing the province's pandemic death toll to 5,602.
The next data update is scheduled for Wednesday, Mar. 8.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.