Copping, Hinshaw to provide update on COVID-19 in Alberta

Health Minister Jason Copping and Alberta’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw will provide an update on COVID-19 at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

The update comes after the province expanded access to fourth doses of COVID-19 vaccines last week.

Those who are ages 70 and older as well as First Nations, Métis and Inuit people 65 and older can get the second booster shot.

All seniors in congregate care, regardless of age, can also receive the dose.

Those eligible can book their fourth dose if five months have passed since their third dose.

The province reported an additional 5,549 cases from 21,314 tests last Wednesday, along with an additional 30 COVID-19 deaths. This brought the provincial death toll to 4,104 since the pandemic began in March 2020.

There were 990 people in hospital with COVID-19 as of las Wednesday, with 44 of those people receiving care in the ICU.

Health officials warned the total number of Albertans with COVID-19 is likely far higher than what is being reported due to limitations on who is eligible to receive a PCR test in the province.

Copping said in a release last Wednesday that while the number of COVID-19-positive patients in hospital remains stable, the Omicron subvariant BA.2 now makes up about 80 per cent of new cases in Alberta. This brings an increased risk of increased transmission and some increase in admissions.