COVID-19 in Alberta: 473 new cases as Omicron count nearly doubles

Alberta identified 473 new cases of COVID-19 as the province’s case count of the Omicron variant nearly doubled on Thursday. 

Thursday marked the second straight day of more than 400 new cases, something that hasn’t happened since Nov. 18 and 19. 

• Infographics: COVID-19 in Alberta by the numbers
• COVID-19 in Edmonton: Numbers broken down by neighbourhood

Alberta reported 59 new Omicron cases, with 48 of those Calgary Zone as well as four in the Edmonton Zone, six in the Central Zone and one in the South Zone.

The Edmonton and Calgary zones are significantly bigger than the cities themselves.   

Variant cases are identified through a second screening done after an initial positive test for COVID-19. The time needed for that further screening means the new Omicron cases are likely from several days ago.

There are now 352 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, including 70 in intensive care units.

Among all Albertans, 78.2 per cent have now had at least one dose of vaccine, and 72.4 per cent of the entire population has had a second dose. 

Nearly 97,000 doses of vaccine have now been administered to children between the ages of five and 11.

Unvaccinated Albertans remain significantly more likely to suffer a severe outcome after contracting COVID-19, including hospitalization or death.

Alberta’s next data update is scheduled for Friday afternoon.