COVID-19 in Alberta: Province surpasses 1,600 hospitalizations, sets new record high

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The number of Albertans with COVID-19 in hospital has surpassed 1,600 for the first time in the pandemic while also setting a new record high, according to the province’s Wednesday data update.

The latest figures show 1,598 patients in hospital, the second-highest count to date. Meanwhile, Tuesday’s count of 1,585 was revised to a pandemic-high 1,627.

Hospitalization data is routinely revised for accuracy and to account for reporting delays.

The 16 highest patient counts have all come in the last 16 days.

Wednesday’s update lists 106 patients with COVID-19 in intensive care units.

That number has held relatively steady recently, as patient counts fluctuated between a low of 101 and a high 114 over the past two weeks.

Alberta’s COVID-19 death toll grew by 14, up to 3,593, with the deaths coming in individuals ranging in age from their 50s to more than 80 years old.

Sixty-eight Albertans have died due to COVID-19 over the past week.

There are now more than 34,000 known active cases in the province with just over 3,000 new cases reported Wednesday.

Limits to testing capacity and eligibility mean the actual number of new and active COVID-19 infections is much higher.

Alberta has now administered more than eight million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, with 80.5 per cent of the population having had at least one dose and 74.6 per cent having had two shots.

A third of Albertans, 33.3 per cent, have now also received a third dose.

Unvaccinated Albertans are outnumbered nearly four-to-one by those who have had at least a first shot of vaccine, but remain many times more likely to experience a severe outcome due to COVID-19 including hospitalization or death.

The next data update is scheduled for Thursday.