By Chris Brown (CHAT News Today) and Josh Hall (rdnewsNOW)

WEDNESDAY UPDATE

‘It’s time to move forward’: health minister on COVID

Mar 16, 2022 | 4:23 PM

Today’s COVID-19 numbers are below…

Alberta’s health minister says early indications are that relaxing public health measures in early February has not caused an increase in COVID cases or more pressure on the health system.

“We continue to see a decline or plateau in both our lagging and leading indicators,” said Jason Copping on Wednesday afternoon.

He said there’s been some variation in the positivity rate for PCR tests but overall, since Step One began, it has dropped by seven per cent. Copping also said there’s been a steady decline in hospitalizations and ICU admission, down about 40 per cent since the lifting of measures began.

“COVID is not over but it’s time to move forward. We’re learning to live with it and each of us will do that in our own way,” said the health minister.

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Starting next week the province will reduce case and outbreak reporting to once per week, on Wednesdays. Copping also announced the province will wind down its program that provides employers and service providers with rapid test kits.

As of April 1, they will only be available to those who care for vulnerable populations, such as AHS facilities, long-term care, schools and those who look after vulnerable populations. Free kits are still available at pharmacies across the province.

He also said that AHS walk-in pediatric clinics will offer more flexible hours for vaccinations.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw said COVID has taken almost four times as many lives in the past two years as all infectious diseases did in the three years before COVID.

rdnewsNOW will continue to report the numbers on the days they are updated.

Watch today’s update below…

PROVINCIAL NUMBERS

*Numbers are up to date as of previous day’s end. Numbers in parentheses represent a one-day change unless otherwise noted

Hospitalizations: 989 (-12)

ICU admissions: 70 (–)

Deaths: 4,013 (-12)

*On March 16, Alberta Health reclassified 16 previously reported deaths from between Dec. 21, 2021 to Feb. 11, 2022, whereby COVID-19 was later deemed to not have been a primary (direct) or secondary (contributing) cause of death. An additional 38 were confirmed to be directly due to COVID or where COVID was a contributing cause, and as a result, the number of total COVID deaths will drop today by 12. Four deaths were reported in the last day.

MORE HEALTHCARE CAPACITY DATA

—

*With the province limiting testing in the fifth wave, these confirmed cases do not accurately reflect the number of cases in the community.

Total cases: 533,164 (+593)

Active caseload: 6,449 (+27)

Tests completed: 3,166

Seven-day positivity rate: 20.71% (+0.04)

RED DEER

*Numbers are up to date as of previous day’s end. Numbers in parentheses represent a one-day change 13unless otherwise noted

Total cases: 13,693 (+11)

Total recoveries: 13,309 (+24)

Active caseload: 287 (-11)

Deaths: 97 (-2)

CENTRAL ZONE

*Numbers are up to date as of previous day’s end. Numbers in parentheses represent a one-day change unless otherwise noted

Hospitalizations: 125 (+1)

ICU admissions: 8 (–)

Active caseload: 928 (-24)

Deaths: 509 (-3)

Elsewhere in the zone

Red Deer County: 66 (+3)

Sylvan Lake: 30 (+2)

Lacombe County: 21 (–)

City of Lacombe: 38 (-27)

Ponoka County: 54 (+3)

For more data from central Alberta communities, click here.

VACCINATION DATA

WASTEWATER DATA