Alberta Health Services says the number of patients in intensive care units across the province has dropped by 3.5 per cent over the last seven days. The update came Wednesday as Alberta identified 1,263 new cases of COVID-19. (See Wednesday’s full COVID-19 data below).
As of 1:25 p.m., AHS said there were 374 ICU beds open in Alberta, including 201 additional spaces. This is a 116 per cent increase over the province’s baseline of 173 beds.
In total in Alberta, there are 300 people in intensive care, with the vast majority of them COVID-19 positive, AHS said. Provincially, ICU capacity was at 80 per cent.
Military assistance has also arrived in the province, after a request for help last month. The Canadian Armed Forces said eight critical care nursing officers — from Ontario and Nova Scotia — were to begin shifts as early as Wednesday afternoon at the Royal Alexandra Hospital.
Alberta's COVID-19 data Wednesday
The 1,263 new cases came from 15,400 tests, putting the province’s positivity rate at 8.27 per cent.
Alberta recorded another 26 deaths from COVID-19 Wednesday, bringing the province’s death toll to 2,804. Alberta’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said 21 of the 26 people who died were not vaccinated. Those who died ranged in age from 22 to 94, Hinshaw said.
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“Vaccines work,” Hinshaw said in a tweet. “They protect us, our families, the community and our health-care system.
“This is a sad reminder that COVID does not discriminate and Albertans of all ages can be at risk of severe illness or even death. That’s why it’s important to get fully vaccinated to receive the best possible protection against the virus.”
Of the 26 deaths, eight were in the North zone: a woman in her 50s, three men in their 70s, two women in their 80s and a man in his 90s, all with pre-existing conditions. A man in his 90s with no known comorbidities also died.
There were seven deaths in the Central zone: three women in their 60s, a man in his 70s, a man in his 80s, a man in his 90s and a woman in her 90s, all with pre-existing conditions.
Five people in the Edmonton zone died: a man in his 30s, a woman in her 50s, a man in his 60s, a woman in her 80s, and a man in his 90s, all with pre-existing conditions.
Five people died in the Calgary zone: a woman in her 60s, a man in his 60s, a man in his 70s and a man in his 90s, all with pre-existing conditions. A man in his 20s with no known pre-existing conditions also died.
There was one death in the South zone: a woman in her 60s with no known pre-existing conditions.
The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 decreased slightly to 1,083 on Wednesday, which is down from 1,094 people in hospital day prior. Of those hospitalized, 247 are being treated in intensive care.
Of the 836 people not in ICU, Hinshaw said 73.7 per cent are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated. Of the 247 people in ICU, 90.2 per cent are not vaccinated or partially vaccinated.
The number of active cases of COVID-19 in Alberta decreased to 18,912 Wednesday, down from 19,456 active cases on Tuesday.
Of the active cases, 4,629 are in the Calgary zone, 4,455 are in the Edmonton zone, 3,955 are in the Central zone, 3,801 are in the North zone, 2,054 are in the South zone and 18 are not tied to any particular zone.
Of the eligible population, 84.6 per cent of Albertans have received one dose a of COVID-19 vaccine and 75.2 per cent are fully immunized with two doses.