Alberta COVID-19 hospitalizations, ICU numbers declining; 27 deaths reported
Positive and a negative rapid antigen tests are pictured in Kingston, Ontario on Tuesday, September 13, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS IMAGES/Lars Hagberg
Alberta now has 856 people in hospital with COVID-19, 29 of whom are receiving care in ICUs.
That is a decrease of 22 hospitalizations and two ICU admissions since last week’s update.
Alberta Health data is routinely updated for accuracy and to account for reporting delays. Last week’s hospital numbers were retroactively increased from 878 to 928.
According to the province, 345 of the 928 people in hospital with COVID-19 last week were hospitalized for reasons directly related to the virus, while the other 583 people were admitted for other reasons, but incidentally tested positive. In the ICU, 55 per cent of patients were being treated because of COVID-19.
Alberta’s total number of COVID-19-related deaths went up by 27. Of the new deaths reported, 10 were retroactively added to past weeks, while 17 belong to this week.
The provincial death toll now sits at 5,470.
Since its last data update, Alberta Health has counted 842 new COVID-19 cases in 6,469 PCR tests. That is a decrease of 139 cases and 350 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 13.28 per cent.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
On Jan. 16, 2021, 718 Albertans were hospitalized with COVID-19. In 2022, 1077 patients were in hospital with the virus while there were 856 people this year.
In 2021, there were 123 people with COVID-19 in intensive care on Jan. 16, compared to last year's 99 and this year's 29.
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 1,214 COVID-19-related deaths in 2020 and 2,104 in 2021. Additional deaths were retroactively added to 2022’s death toll through Alberta Health’s COVID-19 data update Wednesday, bringing the total number to 2,121.
The next data update is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 25.
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