The total number of COVID-19 cases in Alberta that involve the Omicron variant nearly doubled over 24 hours, the province reported Thursday afternoon.
The total number of Omicron cases was at 119 on Thursday afternoon, up from 60 the day before.
Late Thursday afternoon, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw tweeted that the 59 new Omicron cases were “mostly from three days of samples between Dec. 12 and 14.”
“Our lab has shifted to a quicker testing process for the Omicron variant which means that today we are reporting a large number of Omicron cases coming from several days all at once,” she tweeted. “I want to assure Albertans that we are closely monitoring developments around this variant and there are additional measures in place to help slow the spread.
“There are also steps each of us can take to protect ourselves and others from COVID-19, including staying home when ill.”
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Over the past 24 hours, the province added 473 new COVID-19 cases in total, according to Alberta Health, bringing the province’s total number of active cases to 4,212.
The province’s positivity rate sits at 4.98 per cent, according to the provincial government’s website.
The Calgary zone has more active cases (1,876) than any other region in the province, followed by the Edmonton zone (1,247), the Central zone (499), the North zone (377) and the South zone (210). There are three cases not currently linked to any particular zone.
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Despite the spike in cases involving the Omicron variant, Alberta Health reported Thursday that no COVID-19 fatalities had been recorded in the province in the last 24 hours.
The number of hospitalizations linked to the coronavirus dropped to 352 on Thursday, down from 362 the day before.
The total number of those patients who required intensive care was at 70 on Thursday, down from 71 on Wednesday.
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