COVID-19 in Alberta: 553 new cases as Omicron count grows by 54

Injunctions no barrier to Calgary protests Protester, as well as police officers, were again mobilized in downtown Calgary for another freedom rally. Mark Villani reports.

Alberta recorded its largest one-day increase in new COVID-19 cases since early November on Friday with 553 new cases.

The province also reported 54 new cases of the Omicron variant, raising Alberta’s total from 119 on Thursday up to 173 on Friday.

Of the 54 new Omicron cases, 44 were in the Edmonton Zone, bringing its total to 63 compared to 87 in the Calgary Zone.

The Edmonton and Calgary zones are significantly bigger than the cities themselves.

Variant cases are identified through a second screening done after an initial positive test for COVID-19. The time needed for that further screening means the new Omicron cases are likely from several days ago.

There are now 344 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, including 68 in intensive care units.

Among all Albertans, 78.3 per cent have now had at least one dose of vaccine, and 72.4 per cent of the entire population has had a second dose.

More than  98,000 doses of vaccine have now been administered to children between the ages of five and 11.

Unvaccinated Albertans remain significantly more likely to suffer a severe outcome after contracting COVID-19, including hospitalization or death.

Alberta’s next data update is scheduled for Monday afternoon and will include weekend data from Friday, Saturday and Sunday.