Alberta reports 1,246 new COVID-19 cases, 18 deaths as hospitalizations hit record high
Alberta reported 1,246 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday as the fourth wave continues to pressure the province’s health care system with a record high number of hospitalizations.
There are now 1,100 patients in hospital, the highest count of the pandemic. Included in that number are 263 patients in intensive care units, the second highest number to date.
With 197 surge beds in place, 86 per cent of Alberta’s 370 ICU beds are in use.
“The strain being placed on our health-care system remains very serious. Our hospitals are under critical pressure and we’re doing all we can to increase capacity, particularly in intensive care,” Premier Jason Kenney told reporters on Tuesday.
Alberta reported 18 more COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday, which increased the province’s death toll to 2,663.
About three in four people who have died of COVID-19 in the last 120 days were not fully vaccinated, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said.
“Almost four out of five of all those in hospital for COVID-19 and 91 per cent of those ICU in the last 120 days were also not fully vaccinated,” Hinshaw added.
“These numbers speak for themselves: Vaccines are critically important.”
Of eligible Albertans, 83.2 per cent have one vaccine dose and 74 per cent have two doses.
The premier announced Alberta is working on a new advertisement campaign to educate unvaccinated Albertans with facts to “debunk common myths.”
“The bottom line is this: We are still in the middle of a crisis. The fourth wave has challenged us more than any wave before.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
‘We made them safer and more fun’: Here’s what’s new about e-scooters
Electric scooters (e-scooters) have been gaining popularity in the capital and this season comes with some changes and updates.