Alberta COVID-19 hospitalizations lowest since January 2022, 20 deaths added
Alberta now has 518 people in hospital with COVID-19, 12 of whom are receiving care in ICUs.
That is a decrease of 36 hospitalizations and three ICU admissions compared to last week's update.
The last time Alberta's hospitalization numbers were this low was in Jan. 2022.
Alberta Health data is routinely updated for accuracy and to account for reporting delays. Last week’s hospital numbers were retroactively increased from 554 to 578.
According to the province, 239 of the 578 people in hospital with COVID-19 last week were hospitalized for reasons directly related to the virus, while the other 339 people were admitted for other reasons, but incidentally tested positive. In the ICU, 58 per cent of patients were being treated because of COVID-19.
Alberta’s total number of COVID-19-related deaths went up by 20. All of the new deaths reported were retroactively added to past weeks. None of the deaths belong to this week.
Since its last data update, Alberta Health has counted 347 new COVID-19 cases in 4,565 PCR tests. That is a decrease of 38 cases and 200 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 7.84 per cent.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
On Mar. 6, 2021, 245 Albertans were hospitalized with COVID-19. In 2022, 1,130 patients were in hospital with the virus, while there were 518 people this year.
In 2021, there were 38 people with COVID-19 in intensive care on Mar. 6, compared to last year's 75 and this year's 12.
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 2,118.
There have been 185 COVID-19-related deaths to date, bringing the province's pandemic death toll to 5,622.
The next data update is scheduled for Wednesday, Mar. 15.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More Canadians are moving to the U.S. Here's one of the main reasons, according to an immigration expert
Recent data from the U.S. census revealed that more than 126,000 people moved from Canada to the U.S. in 2022. An expert said that one of the main reasons for this move is the cost of living.
Bus carrying Quebec tourists crashes in Cuba, leaving 1 dead and 26 injured
One person is dead and 26 were injured after a bus carrying Quebec tourists was involved in a collision in Cuba on Sunday.
Her gut was producing alcohol. Doctors didn't believe her
For two years doctors told her she was an alcoholic. Then they realized her gut was making alcohol from carbohydrates, a rare condition called auto-brewery syndrome.
'They need this protection': Trudeau gov't re-offers $1.5M for enhanced Pride security in Canada
For the second year, the federal government is offering up to $1.5M to Pride organizations across the country to fund enhanced security measures, amid a continued rise in anti-LGBTQ2S+ hate.
Here's how far B.C. drivers must keep from cyclists, pedestrians under new law
A new law protecting cyclists and pedestrians in British Columbia takes effect Monday, establishing minimum distances that drivers must keep from so-called vulnerable road users.
Prospective jurors in Hunter Biden's firearms case questioned on gun rights, addiction
A federal gun case against U.S. President Joe Biden’s son Hunter opened Monday with jury selection, following the collapse of a plea deal that would have avoided the spectacle of a trial so close the 2024 election.
AFN national chief blasts governments' inaction on fifth anniversary of MMIWG report
On the fifth anniversary of a national inquiry's report into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations is blasting all levels of government for what she calls slow progress to stop the crisis.
B.C. school district apologizes for asking students 'Should Israel exist?'
The Burnaby School District superintendent has issued an apology and launched an investigation after a Grade 6/7 class was presented with a question regarding the existence of Israel.
Toyota apologizes for cheating on vehicle testing and halts production of three models
Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda apologized Monday for massive cheating on certification tests for seven vehicle models as the automaker suspended production of three of them.