COVID-19 in Alberta: Hospitalizations up 96 per cent over the past 2 weeks
The number of Albertans in hospital with COVID-19 has nearly doubled over the last two weeks and surpassed 800 for the first time since late October, according to the province’s latest data update.
There are now 822 COVID-19 patients in hospital, an increase of 230 from a week ago, and 403 from two weeks ago, or a jump of more than 96 per cent in the last two weeks.
The 822 includes 81 patients in intensive care units, a number that has risen by 30 from two weeks ago.
Six children under the age of 10 years old were among those admitted to hospital over the last day.
Also Friday, the province reported five more COVID-19 deaths, all of them in individuals over the age of 80 years old.
The province reported 6,163 new COVID-19 cases on 16,500 tests, and there are now more than 64,000 known active cases in the province.
This week, the province introduced a number of new restrictions to testing eligibility with its chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, estimating the true case count was more than 10 times than indicated by PCR results.
Just over eight million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Alberta to date with 79.9 per cent of all Albertans having had at least a first dose and 73.4 per cent having had a second dose.
More than a quarter of all Albertans, 28 per cent, have also had a booster dose.
Compared to those with two doses, unvaccinated Albertans remain multiple times more likely to suffer a severe outcome such as hospitalization or death.
The next data update is scheduled for Monday and will cover data from Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Lack of detention space could force CBSA to release detainees, internal memo warns
The Canada Border Services Agency is scrambling to find space to hold high-risk detainees that are set to be transferred from provincial jails in June.
BREAKING American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
BREAKING Allman Brothers Band co-founder and legendary guitarist Dickey Betts dies at 80
Guitar legend Dickey Betts, who co-founded the Allman Brothers Band and wrote their biggest hit, 'Ramblin' Man,' has died. He was 80.
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
Police make arrests in grandparent scam that defrauded victims out of $739K
Ontario Provincial Police say they have 'disrupted' an organized crime group that allegedly used an emergency grandparent scam to defraud seniors across Canada out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Motion to allow keffiyehs at Ontario legislature fails
A motion to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh within Queen’s Park failed to receive unanimous consent Thursday just moments after Ontario Premier Doug Ford reiterated his view that prohibiting the garment in the House is divisive.
What does it mean to be 'house poor' and how can you avoid it?
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
Calgary man charged with manslaughter in death of toddler
Calgary police say Winston Campbell, 45, has been charged in the death of a two-year-old girl in 2022.
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.