There were 1,101 Albertans with COVID-19 in the hospital as of Wednesday, Alberta Health reported, 12 more people as of Tuesday.
As of Wednesday, 108 of those COVID-19 hospital patients were treated in ICUs. That number has also increased since Tuesday, when it was 104.
Alberta’s chief medical officer on health urged people on Tuesday to remain vigilant and vaccinated, saying the province’s acute care system is under tremendous strain amid the Omicron wave.
Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 exceeded 1,000 on Sunday for the first time since October 14, said dr. Deena Hinshaw added.
Alberta Health confirmed 3,837 new cases through PCR laboratory tests in the last 24 hours out of 10,005 tests.
Changes in the availability of PCR tests in recent weeks mean that these confirmed cases are only a fraction of the total number of cases in the community.
Read more:
Alberta hospitals under ‘severe pressure’ from 5th COVID-19 wave: Hinshaw
AHS President and CEO Dr. Verna Yiu wrote a op-ed in the Edmonton Journal Tuesday.
“Every single person who has needed ICU care for the past two years has received it, despite an unprecedented increase in demand that has pushed our system and our people to the extreme,” Yiu wrote.
But she acknowledged that AHS was once again scaling up capacity.
“We do not yet know exactly how Omicron will affect us, but based on the evidence, we are adjusting our contingency plans to add hundreds more spaces in addition to ICU, for patients in need of an intermediate level of hospital care,” Yiu writes.
Read more:
Alberta’s health minister tests positive for COVID-19 as hospitalizations exceed 1,000
While the Omicron variant in Alberta continues to grow, Hinshaw has encouraged everyone to continue to follow public health guidelines and to be vaccinated, including a booster shot if they have not yet received one.
Fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine will soon be available for Albertans 18 and older with immunodeficiency conditions, five months after receiving their third dose.
From 20 January, qualifying individuals can book appointments for fourth doses online, at participating AHS pharmacies or by calling 811.
Read more:
COVID-19: Edmonton Public School Board calls for easier access to pediatric vaccine
View link »
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Reference-globalnews.ca