CHAT News File Photo

By Chris Brown

Hospitalizations rising as province estimates 4,000 new COVID-19 cases

Dec 30, 2021 | 3:52 PM

Preliminary estimates show Alberta has topped its previous daily COVID-19 case record by more than 1,000 cases on Thursday.

The province estimates there are 4,000 new COVID cases today.

It’s the third time in a week and second time in as many days Alberta has set a new daily record, following the record 2,775 cases in the detailed update on Dec. 29.

The province is also estimating a 30 per cent positivity rate today, also a record after the positivity rate in yesterday’s detailed update was 29.5.

Today’s limited data release also shows 371 Albertans in hospital due to COVID-19, an increase of 22 since Wednesday. Of the 371, 48 of those are ICU.

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The province is not giving full data updates during the holiday season and plans to resume regular reporting on Jan. 4.

Alberta’s chief medical officer Dr. Deena Hinshaw was to provide an in-person update today. It was pushed to Friday so she could take part in a COVID cabinet committee meeting.

Wednesday’s update showed 135 active cases of COVID-19 in Medicine Hat. The city has had 4,751 total cases – the 135 active, 4,538 recovered and there have been 78 deaths.

An AHS spokesperson told CHAT News Wednesday that there are currently 19 COVID-19 positive inpatients in the South Zone with two of those in the ICU. There are three inpatients at Medicine Hat Regional Hospital with one COVID-19 positive patient in the ICU.