(Dreamstime)

By David Opinko

COVID spikes in Alberta with 2,775 cases in one day, but hospitalizations remain low

Dec 29, 2021 | 5:22 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The province has released its latest report on COVID-19 for Wednesday, covering statistics from the past 24 hours.

2,775 cases were confirmed across the province, bringing the total to 357,623. Of those, 17,396 cases are active while 336,917 people have recovered.

With 9,398 tests conducted over the past day, the positivity rate was 29.5 per cent.

Between our last full update on December 23 and today, around 40.2 per cent of all new infections in Alberta were the Omicron variant.

In the South Zone, there were 315 positive tests over the last six days for a daily average of approximately 53. Lethbridge saw about 23 cases per day in that time and 15 in Medicine Hat.

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Active infections provincially have jumped up by 9,037 since the 23rd and by 230 for the South Zone.

Over the last six days, 11 Albertans died from COVID with four each in the Edmonton and North Zones, two in the Central Zone, and one in the Calgary Zone. To date, 3,310 people in the province have died as a result of the virus.

Provincially, 349 patients are currently hospitalized including 57 who have been admitted to intensive care.

Below are graphs showing how COVID-19 in Alberta has trended since the start of the pandemic, which can also be accessed with more detail here.

Active COVID-19 cases in Alberta. (Alberta Health Services)

COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admissions in Alberta. (Alberta Health Services)

COVID-19 outcomes by vaccination status. (Alberta Health Services)

Below is a breakdown of cases per health zone in Alberta:

• Calgary Zone – 135,113 cases, 9,293 active
  • 122 in hospital, 19 in ICU
  • 859 deaths (one new)
• Edmonton Zone – 111,639 cases, 6,216 active
  • 99 in hospital, 30 in ICU
  • 1,333 deaths (four new)
• North Zone – 47,419 cases, 597 active
  • 35 in hospital, three in ICU
  • 412 deaths (four new)
• Central Zone – 39,380 cases, 687 active
  • 74 in hospital, six in ICU
  • 416 deaths (two new)
• South Zone – 23,600 cases, 241 active
  • 17 in hospital, two in ICU
  • 290 deaths

Below is a breakdown of cases in the South Health Zone. The numbers in brackets show new cases or deaths over the last six days:

• Lethbridge – 7,477 cases (140 new), 197 active, 62 deaths
  • West Lethbridge – 2,779 cases (78 new), 107 active, eight deaths
  • North Lethbridge – 2,420 cases (26 new), 31 active, 22 deaths
  • South Lethbridge – 2,271 cases (41 new), 59 active, 32 deaths
• Medicine Hat – 4,751 cases (90 new), 135 active, 78 deaths
• Brooks – 2,117 cases (eight new), 11 active, 24 deaths
• Lethbridge County – 2,046 cases (22 new), 29 active, 20 deaths
• Cardston County – 1,889 cases (13 new), 17 active, 40 deaths
• M.D. of Taber – 1,319 cases (seven new), 15 active, 18 deaths
• Cypress County – 885 cases (seven new), 14 active, six deaths
• County of Warner – 806 cases (six new), nine active, four deaths
• M.D. of Pincher Creek – 673 cases (11 new), 14 active, 11 deaths
• Fort Macleod – 579 cases, three active, seven deaths
• County of Newell – 532 cases (three new), seven active, eight deaths
• County of Forty Mile – 349 cases (four new), four active, five deaths
• Crowsnest Pass – 189 cases (two new), six active, one death
• Waterton – Seven cases, zero active, zero deaths