Alberta’s chief medical officer of health is scheduled to provide an update on COVID-19 and steps to protect public health Tuesday afternoon.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw is set to speak at 3:30 p.m. The news conference will be streamed live in this article post.
On Monday morning, Hinshaw tweeted eight new cases of the Omicron variant had been found — all from returning travellers.
She added the variant may have been exposed in an elementary school and high school in the North zone.
READ MORE: Alberta records 349 new COVID-19 cases, 1 additional coronavirus death
“Some household members of these cases have tested positive for COVID but have not yet been confirmed as Omicron,” Hinshaw wrote. “Out of an abundance of caution, we have notified the schools.
“The schools will notify any potentially exposed groups and additional testing is being recommended,” the chief medical officer said, noting anyone with COVID-19 symptoms must isolate and be tested through Alberta Health Services.
She also said those schools will be receiving rapid tests to distribute to the student body.
All of the new cases are isolating and “appropriate public health follow-up is underway,” according to Hinshaw.
As of Monday, the total number of cases of the Omicron variant identified in Alberta was 11.
Alberta identified 788 cases of COVID-19 over the weekend. Of those, 349 cases were identified Friday, 252 were identified Saturday and 187 were identified Sunday.
Hospitalizations and ICU admissions related to COVID-19 declined over the weekend. On Monday, there were 366 people in hospital with COVID-19, down from 395 on Friday. ICU admissions dropped to 72 people Monday from 78 people on Friday.
Of the 294 non-ICU patients in hospital, Hinshaw said 64.3 are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated. Of the 72 people in ICU, 76.4 per cent are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated.
Five additional deaths related to COVID-19 were reported to Alberta Health over the weekend. By Monday, Alberta’s death toll from COVID-19 reached 3,263.
Alberta had 4,374 active cases of COVID-19 on Monday.
One year ago, the provincial government announced a four-week lockdown.
On Dec. 8, 2020, Alberta Health identified 1,727 new cases of COVID-19 and there were 9,383 active cases in the Edmonton zone alone.
The first dose of vaccine was administered in Alberta on Dec. 15, 2020.
Nearly a year later, on Monday, 187 new cases were identified and the Edmonton zone had 1,225 active cases.
Nearly 7 million doses of vaccine have been administered province-wide.
Read more: AHS receives 1,515 COVID-19-related complaints over the holidays, issues 4 public health orders
The current health guidelines only allow vaccinated Albertans to have indoor private social gatherings with a maximum of two households (yours plus another) up to a maximum of 10 people.
Unvaccinated Albertans are not permitted to have indoor social gatherings.
Outdoor private social gatherings are limited to a maximum of 20 people with two-metre physical distancing between households at all times.
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