Provincial positivity rate above 40 per cent, hospitalizations close in on 800

The premier urged people to get vaccinated and stay home when sick, saying they are the two most important things people can do to stop the spread and keep everyone safe.

He said evidence shows that even though there are more cases among vaccinated people compared to unvaccinated people, their cases will be mild.

“So please don’t be fooled by those who point to high case numbers right now arguing that it’s proof the vaccines aren’t working.”

He said nothing could be further from the truth.

“The vaccination rates of hospital patients confirm vaccines are doing their job, they’re doing what they’re supposed to do. Which is to prevent severe symptoms, severe outcomes, hospitalization and death,” Kenney said.

He added more than 70 per cent of the COVID patients in ICU are unvaccinated, who make up 10 per cent of the population.

There are 664 active cases of COVID-19 in Medicine Hat on Thursday.

Medicine Hat has had 5,480 total cases – the 664 active, 4,738 recovered and there have been 78 deaths.

There are 78 new cases in the city and 32 new recoveries in the past 24 hours.

An AHS spokesperson told CHAT News Tuesday that there are currently 28 COVID-19 positive inpatients in the South Zone with four of those in the ICU. There are five inpatients at Medicine Hat Regional Hospital with two COVID-19 positive patients in the ICU.

Chinook Regional Hospital has 18 inpatients with two in the ICU. Brooks Health Centre, Crowsnest Pass Health Centre and Pincher Creek Health Centre have one inpatient each.

There have been 17,548 cases of the Omicron variant identified in Alberta, up from 16,314 Wednesday. Of those, 511 cases are in the South Zone.

Among Hatters five years old and over, 81.5 per cent have received at least one dose of vaccine and 76 per cent have received two doses.

77.4 per cent of all Hatters have received at least one dose of vaccine at the latest update.

There are 62,733 active cases in the province, up 1,504 in the past 24 hours, and 364,224 recovered cases in the province, up 4,498.

Alberta’s total cases from the start of the pandemic is 430,332.

There are 6,010 new cases in the province in the past 24 hours.

There are now 786 Albertans in hospital with COVID-19, 79 of which are in ICU, and 3,375 deaths.

The province completed 14,347 tests in the past 24 hours.

The positivity rate is about 41.8 per cent.

Alberta has administered 7,981,543 doses of vaccine at the latest update.

Kenney says a growing number of staff and students in isolation may mean return to online temporary at-home learning.

This is the reality of teaching and learning during COVID, he says.

“But I am pleased to say that school authority preparation, experience gained over the past two difficult years and the brief extension of the winter break last week served the education system well,” Kenney says.

Only a small number of school authorities have had to switch classes and grades to online learning, said Kenney, and others have the flexibility to make the right local decisions.

Schools and school boards continue to wait for rapid test kits across Alberta. Supply chain issues are delaying delivery of kits coming from the federal government as those bought by the provincial government.

Kenney estimates the average Albertan will be able to get a rapid test kits at some point in January but can’t give an exact date.

Among new cases today, 19.3 per cent are unvaccinated, 1.5 per cent are partially vaccinated and 79.2 per cent are fully vaccinated.

Among current hospitalizations, 37.2 per cent are unvaccinated, 3.9 per cent are partially vaccinated and 58.8 per cent are fully vaccinated.

Province-wide, 85 per cent of Albertans five years old and up have received at least one dose of vaccine and 78 per cent have received two doses and 29.3 per cent have received three doses.

Among Alberta’s total population, 79.8 per cent have received at least one dose of vaccine and 73.3 per cent have received two doses 27.6 per cent have received three doses.

There are three city outbreaks listed on AHS website and one in Brooks.

There are 2,795 active cases and 23,893 recovered in the South Zone. The death total in the zone is at 296.

The province-wide reproductive value for the week of Dec. 27-Jan 2 is 1.35. It is 1.34 in Calgary Zone, 1.30 in Edmonton Zone and 1.54 in the rest of Alberta.

At the last update from Nov. 29-Dec. 12, the numbers were 0.96 in the province, 0.90 in Calgary Zone, 0.99 in Edmonton Zone and 0.93 in the rest of Alberta.

Cypress County has totaled 959 cases. There are 67 active cases, 886 recovered and six deaths. 74 per cent of those five years old and up have at least one dose of vaccine, 69.1 have two doses.

The County of Forty Mile has 372 total cases. There are 22 active cases, 345 recovered and there have been five deaths. 48 per cent of those five years old and up have at least one dose of vaccine, 44.5 have two doses.

The MD of Taber has 1,400 total cases — 71 active cases, 1,311 recovered and there have been 18 deaths. 55.2 per cent of those five years old and up have at least one dose of vaccine, 51.3 have two doses

Special Areas No. 2 has 303 total cases – 18 active cases, 280 recovered and there have been three deaths.

Brooks has 2,280 total cases — 156 active cases and 2,100 are recovered. Brooks has recorded 24 deaths.

The County of Newell has a total of 556 cases — 20 active cases, 528 recovered and there have been eight deaths. 74.7 per cent of those five years old and up have at least one dose of vaccine, 69.1 per cent have two doses The Newell numbers include the city of Brooks and part of Special Areas No. 2.

The County of Warner has 862 total cases. There are 53 active cases, 804 are recovered cases and there have been five deaths in the county. 67.6 per cent of those five years old and up have at least one dose of vaccine, 61.8 have two doses

The City of Lethbridge has a total of 8,846 cases. There are 1,243 active cases, 7,537 recovered and there have been 66 deaths. Lethbridge County has 2,180 cases, 116 active cases, 2,044 recovered and there have been 20 deaths.

Not all the areas on the vaccination data map match the case count map.

The figures on alberta.ca are “up-to-date as of end of day Jan. 12, 2022.

Saskatchewan has a total of 96,125 cases, 9,252 considered active. There are 85,912 recovered cases and there have been 961 COVID-19 deaths in the province.

by Chris Brown

Provincial positivity rate above 40 per cent, hospitalizations close in on 800

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