Alberta COVID-19 hospitalizations, ICU numbers declining; deaths in 2022 surpass number of deaths in 2021

Two more patients with COVID-19 have been reported dead from the illness, the province said Saturday.

Alberta now has 878 people in hospital with COVID-19, 31 of whom are receiving care in ICUs.

That is a decrease of 34 hospitalizations and nine 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 937 to 955.

According to the province, 381 of the 955 people in hospital with COVID-19 last week were hospitalized for reasons directly related to the virus, while the other 574 people were admitted for other reasons, but incidentally tested positive. In the ICU, 36 per cent of patients were being treated because of COVID-19.

Alberta’s total number of COVID-19-related deaths went up by 28. Of the new deaths reported, 21 were retroactively added to past weeks, while seven belong to this week.

The provincial death toll now sits at 5,443.

Since its last data update, Alberta Health has counted 981 new COVID-19 cases in 6,819 PCR tests. That is an increase of 45 cases and 894 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 15.08 per cent.

HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

Alberta had 1,215 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 2,114 and making it the year with the highest number of deaths since the pandemic started.

On Jan. 9, 2021, 773 Albertans were hospitalized with COVID-19. In 2022, 732 patients were in hospital with the virus while there were 878 people this year.

In 2021, there were 132 people with COVID-19 in intensive care on Jan. 9, compared to last year's 76 and this year's 31.

The next data update is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 18.