Alberta public health officials reported more than 50 deaths from COVID-19 in the last week of reports, while the number of people with the disease treated in hospital and in intensive care has dropped.
Provincial data show that 55 deaths were recorded by COVID-19 from 17 to 23 May. According to Alberta Health, the people who died were between the ages of 50 and 90.
There have been a total of 4,507 deaths from COVID since the pandemic began.
The data show that hospitalizations dropped to 1,040, including 31 patients in the ICU.
There were 1,165 hospital patients, including 42 in the ICU, at the end of the previous week.
“The peak of BA.2 cases has passed and the current wave is receding,” Health Minister Jason Copping told a news conference on Wednesday.
“This is good news, especially for people who work in our healthcare system.”
Alberta’s seven-day PCR test success rate was 17.52%, down from 19.93% the previous week.
Between May 17 and 23, there were 2,737 new laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19, 269 fewer than the previous week.
However, the number of viruses circulating in the community is believed to be higher because the figures do not take into account the positive results of the rapid tests.
Of all Albertans, including those not eligible for a vaccine, 77.1% received two doses; 81.4% of the population of the province has at least one dose.
Identified BA.4 subvariant case identified: Hinshaw
Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s medical director of health, announced that a case of the Omicron BA.4 subvariant has been identified in the province.
“The emergence of new variants and subvariants is not surprising. That’s what viruses do,” Hinshaw said.
The World Health Organization began monitoring the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants last month. At that time, cases had been identified in South Africa, Denmark, Botswana, Scotland and England.
So far, evidence suggests that these subvariants are more transmissible, “but they are on the same plane of gravity” as the original Omicron variant, Hinshaw said.
Alberta will attend the fortnightly press conferences
Due to declining positive PCR testing rates and hospitalizations for COVID-19, the Alberta government will conduct face-to-face updates every two weeks, Copping said.
Provincial data will continue to be updated weekly, but he and Hinshaw will only be on the podium every two weeks, he said.
The next in-person update is currently scheduled for the week of June 6, Copping said.