2 Albertans in their 20s added to COVID-19 deaths

Two Albertans in their 20s had their deaths ascribed to COVID-19 in the past week, provincial data released Wednesday revealed.

Forty new deaths were added to the province’s pandemic death toll in the week ending Nov. 21, bringing the total to 5,177.

The weekly data release also showed COVID deaths of six people in their 60s, 11 people in their 70s and 21 people aged over 80, but no other information like location or existence of comorbidities was shared.

But hospitalizations dipped by 34 in the past week — to 1,107 — and the number of ICU COVID patients stayed flat at 40. Alberta Health Services data shows ICUs were at 87 per cent capacity provincewide on Monday.

The seven-day average positivity rate on PCR tests that are available on a limited basis went down slightly to 13.87 per cent. Over the week ending Nov. 21, 1,344 new cases were documented – the same as the previous week.

PCR tests in Alberta are only available to people with clinical risk of disease and those who live and/or work in high-risk settings.

Hospitals and acute care centres across the province continue to declare COVID-19 outbreaks in units. An outbreak is declared when it’s determined someone has caught the coronavirus while in the hospital.

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Edmonton’s Grey Nuns Hospital had two units in the past week declare outbreaks when — on Nov. 16 and on Saturday — five patients tested positive.

In Calgary, the Rockyview General Hospital declared an outbreak in a unit on Tuesday when six patients tested positive. Four units at the Rockyview are on outbreak status.

The Foothills Medical Centre declared an outbreak on Friday when three patients turned up positive on COVID-19 tests.

And a unit in Medicine Hat’s Regional Hospital began its outbreak status on Sunday when four patients tested positive.