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

Health Minister speaks

Fewer than 1,000 new COVID cases confirmed in Alberta in latest update

Jun 30, 2022 | 11:03 AM

Alberta confirmed fewer than 1,000 new cases of COVID-19 in its latest reporting period and hospitalizations continue to trend down.

As of Monday, there were 943 cases confirmed province-wide in the previous week and 17 COVID deaths. There are 589 COVID inpatients in Alberta hospitals, 13 of which are in ICU.

Alberta has confirmed a total of 588,691 over the course of the pandemic and 4,621 deaths.

“Today’s COVID-19 update is more good news for Albertans and for our health-care system. The Omicron wave continues to recede. Levels of the virus in wastewater are trending down across the province, including in Edmonton and Calgary, and are at or near the levels before Omicron in many centres,” says Health Minister Jason Copping.

“Our hospitals and other services remain under strain, especially in Edmonton and Calgary, for the same reasons as in other provinces: a wave of patients in recent months, plus the impact of the past two years on the health workforce. The result is that EMS and emergency departments are struggling to keep up even though spending is at record levels and staff are being added across the system, including 800 more staff in emergency departments than before the pandemic.”

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Copping says pressures should ease as the Omicron BA.2 wave recedes, and the province gets through a wave of other respiratory viruses.

“We’re continuing to add capacity. Alberta Health Services has now opened 26 of the 50 new ICU beds funded in Budget 2022 and nine new ambulances will be on the streets in Edmonton and Calgary by the end of this month,” the minister added.

“It’s been a tough spring for our health system in Alberta and across Canada. We know the pandemic is not over. We have to expect cases to increase again, most likely in the fall, and we’re preparing for that. We’ll continue to closely monitor the emergence of new variants and keep Albertans informed of the risks from the pandemic and how we’re responding to them.”

Among Alberta’s total population, 81.5 per cent have received at least one dose of vaccine and 77.3 per cent have received two doses 38.3 per cent have received three doses.

It was announced last week that the province would end its regular COVID-19 in-person updates.

Copping concludes: “Once again, thank you to our health-care providers.”

More detailed information is available on the province’s COVID-19 dashboard.