Alberta passed 6th COVID-19 wave, health minister says
CBC
Public health indicators suggest Alberta has passed the sixth wave of COVID-19, spurred mainly by the Omicron BA.2 subvariant, Health Minister Jason Copping said Thursday.
Hospital and intensive care unit admissions have been declining for weeks. New case counts and the seven-day PCR test-positivity rate have also been dropping.
"We are past this wave and in a period of declining transmission," Copping said during a COVID-19 update Thursday.
"Barring the arrival of any new variant or subvariant that behaves differently, we expect to see low transmission rates through the summer, especially as more activities move outside."
Public health officials identified 42 more COVID-19 deaths during the latest reporting period, May 31 to June 6.
Alberta's total COVID-19 death toll only increased to 4,567, however, because 33 previously reported deaths were deemed to be non-COVID-related.
As of Monday, 816 Albertans were in hospital due to COVID-19, including 24 in ICU.
Data shows the number of people in hospital with COVID is at the lowest level since Jan. 10; the number of ICU patients is the lowest since Aug. 7, 2021.
The seven-day PCR test-positivity rate dropped to 15.14 per cent, the lowest since December.
More virus is expected to be circulating in the community, as few Albertans are eligible for a PCR test and the data does not include positive rapid test results.
Alberta chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw, who joined Thursday's news conference virtually, echoed Copping, noting the decreasing indicators and that summertime is near.
Hinshaw cautioned Albertans, however, to continue to be aware of the potential threat of COVID-19.
"Learning to live with COVID does not mean forgetting about it. COVID-19 is still present in our communities and can pose a risk to us, our loved ones, and our healthcare system if we let it," she said.
"We only need to look at our data to see that there are still cases across the province — and while fewer by the day, there are many Albertans who are seriously ill."
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