COVID-19 in Alberta: Hospitalizations remain above 1,000 while ICU admissions rise; 39 new deaths

A person wears a face mask as they walk along a street during snowfall in Montreal, Wednesday, November 16, 2022. The Quebec government has recommended wearing masks in public spaces. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Alberta now has 1,077 Albertans in hospital with the coronavirus, 46 of whom are receiving care in ICUs.

That is a decrease of 30 hospitalizations based off of last week’s update. The number of ICU admissions has increased by six.

Alberta Health data is routinely updated for accuracy and to account for reporting delays, meaning last week’s hospital numbers were retroactively increased from 1,107 to 1,186.

According to the province, 478 of the 1,186 people in hospital with COVID-19 last week were hospitalized for reasons directly related to the disease, while the other 708 people were admitted for other reasons, but incidentally tested positive. In the ICU, 50 per cent of patients were being treated because of the virus.

Alberta’s total number of COVID-19 related deaths went up by 39. Of the new deaths reported, 25 were retroactively added to past weeks, while 14 belong to this week.

The provincial death toll now sits at 5,216.

Alberta Health counted 1,314 new COVID-19 cases in 9,935 PCR tests. That is a decrease of 42 cases and 366 tests compared to last week.

The number of new cases is likely much higher because of testing limitations and because the province doesn't count positive results from rapid tests.

The average positivity rate is now at 13.75 per cent.

HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

On Nov. 28, 2021, there were 442 Albertans hospitalized with COVID-19. This year, there are more than double that amount, with 1,077 patients in hospital with the virus.

The wave that started in August 2021 and steadily grew throughout the fall reached its peak on Sep. 27 with 1,130 people in hospital and began to descend shortly thereafter. Alberta reached the same amount of hospitalizations by Oct. 23 of this year, hitting a peak of 1,201 on Nov. 14.

Hospitalizations have remained above 1,000 since Sept. 25.

In 2021, there were 71 people in intensive care on Nov. 28, compared to this year's 46 and 94 in 2020.

Alberta’s fall wave in 2021 saw the highest number of patients requiring intensive care in the entirety of the pandemic, with 257 people in the ICU with COVID-19 at its peak on Sept. 28.

The next data update is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 7.