Alberta's COVID death toll up by 55 since last data release, with 295 more hospitalizations

Another 55 Albertans have died from COVID, according to the latest data released by the province, which comes two weeks after the previous release.

(The data is usually reported weekly but there was no report during the week of Christmas.)

That brings the death toll for the current season to 378.

The latest data also shows an additional 295 people were hospitalized for COVID, including 20 admitted to intensive care units (ICU).

In total, there have now been 3,137 hospitalizations this season, including 193 admissions to ICU.

Admissions do not include patients with "incidental" cases of COVID-19 admitted to hospital/ICU for other reasons.

Alberta Health says the deaths include those "resulting from a clinically compatible illness in a lab-confirmed COVID-19 case, unless there is a clear alternative cause of death identified (e.g. trauma, poisoning, drug overdose, etc.)"

These numbers represent the difference between hospitalizations and deaths in the province's most recent weekly report compared to the report from the week before, for the 2023-24 respiratory virus tracking season.

The season runs from Aug. 27, 2023, to Aug. 24, 2024.

Age breakdown and data notes

Older people tend to be the most vulnerable to severe outcomes from COVID, but younger people can be affected, too.

The table below breaks down the total number of hospitalizations, ICU admissions and deaths in the current respiratory-virus season, by age range.

You'll also find the population-adjusted rate (per 100,000 people) for each age range.  

This data all comes from the provincial government's respiratory virus dashboard, which is updated weekly.

There are often delays in reporting, however, meaning not all deaths and hospitalizations that actually happened during the latest weekly reporting period are included.

Each weekly report typically includes severe outcomes that occurred in prior weeks but were only just added to the data.

For more on why, see this story:

• Alberta's new COVID stats page can be confusing. Here are the key numbers — and what they mean.