By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

WEDNESDAY UPDATE

Alberta adds 1,346 new cases of COVID-19 in one day

Dec 22, 2021 | 4:07 PM

The active COVID-19 caseload in Alberta is now 7,065, up 1,020 in the last day alone.

This with the province adding 1,346 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours. The province also did 11,516 tests in the last one-day reporting period, with a one-day positivity rate around 11 per cent. The seven-day positivity rate is 8.12 per cent.

There have now been 2,131 confirmed cases of the Omicron variant, up 522 from yesterday.

On a positive note, there are 326 people in hospital, down three in one day, and ICU admissions are down four to 65.

Sadly, there were five deaths reported in the last day for a pandemic total across the province of 3,299.

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CENTRAL ZONE

Red Deer now has 99 active cases of COVID-19, down one from Tuesday.

Meantime, recoveries in Red Deer rose seven to 9,380 as the total number of COVID-19 cases attributed to Red Deer rose by just six in the last day to 9,563.

Red Deer’s death toll stemming from COVID-19 is 84, with none reported today.

The Central Zone as a whole has 454 active cases as of Wednesday, down 10 in the last day. That’s compared to 3,887 in Calgary Zone and 2,087 in Edmonton Zone.

There are 61 hospitalizations in our zone, the same as yesterday, and seven people are receiving intensive care at Red Deer Regional Hospital, also the same as yesterday.

Central Zone has recorded 414 deaths, including two in the last day.

Active cases across Central Zone (one-day change)

Red Deer County: 24 (+3)

Sylvan Lake: 6 (–)

Lacombe County: 18 (-3)

City of Lacombe: 22 (+3)

Ponoka County: 16 (+1)

Brazeau County: 5 (-1)

Clearwater County: 29 (–)

Mountain View County: 27 (-1)

Olds: 16 (+3)

Kneehill County: 7 (–)

County of Stettler: 88 (-8)

For more data from central Alberta communities, click here.

VACCINATIONS

Alberta has delivered 7,400,284 vaccine doses as of Dec. 21, up 43,900 in the last day.

Of the 5+ population, 83.8 per cent has received at least one dose (78.8% total population), while 77.3 per cent is now fully vaccinated (72.6% total population).

A total of 714,009 booster (third) shots have been administered, up 38,295.

*Local numbers below now reflect percentages based on the number of people in Red Deer who are 5+, which recently changed from 12+, therefore numbers may be lower than they had been; the Government of Alberta says 100,446 people in Red Deer are eligible for vaccination, with a population of 106,420.

In Red Deer, 76,661 (76.3% eligible/72.0% total population) people have received at least one dose, up 49.

Meanwhile, 71,893 (71.6% eligible/67.6% total population) residents are fully vaccinated, up 36.

NDP Health Critic David Shepherd issued the following statement regarding today’s COVID update:

“The numbers Albertans are seeing today are alarming. Once again, we are seeing the consequences of a UCP government that has failed to show leadership and protect public health as Alberta faces a fifth wave of COVID-19.

“Just a week ago, the UCP eased restrictions as Omicron quickly approached while other provinces took action to slow the spread of COVID-19. Now, the daily case count has almost doubled within 24 hours and the number of active cases has risen dramatically.

“This situation is urgent, and the threat to our hospitals is serious. Families need certainty and businesses need more financial support. But what is the UCP doing? Once again, they’re putting their political interests ahead of public health by hosting a political fundraiser with over 200 people hours after advising Albertans to cancel holiday get-togethers.”

“Instead of half measures and empty words, Albertans deserve leadership.”