Alberta breaks COVID-19 pandemic ICU high with 198 admissions

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EDMONTON — Alberta exceeded 800 COVID-19 hospitalizations for the first time since January and set a new pandemic record for ICU admissions with nearly 200 patients.

Hospitals across the province are now caring for 803 patients with COVID-19, 198 of whom are in intensive care units.

Alberta typically has a total of 173 ICU beds, but Alberta Health Services opened 93 surge beds to deal with the growing number of hospitalizations amid the fourth wave, AHS president and CEO Dr. Verna Yiu said last Thursday.

Of the 198 patients in ICU, 90.4 per cent are unvaccinated or only have one of two doses.

The province added 4,740 new COVID-19 cases since Thursday, increasing active infections to 18,395.

Since Thursday, 18 died from COVID-19. The death toll now stands at 2,462.