COVID-19 hospitalizations top 700 as Alberta reports 8 new deaths

The number of people in hospital with COVID-19 continues to grow as the Omicron variant spreads across Alberta.

There are now 708 people in hospital with COVID-19, including 80 people in intensive care. In Monday's update there were 635 people in hospital and 72 in ICU. Just one week ago, there were 436 people in hospital, including 61 in ICU.

In a Facebook live Tuesday night, Premier Jason Kenney shared some preliminary data for Omicron and its effect on the healthcare system.

The preliminary data shows that of the 708 people in hospital, 163 of those hospitalized have the Omicron variant. Of the 80 in ICU, 14 are Omicron patients.

Sixty-six people from the 163 in hospital with Omicron variant are in hospital for COVID-19 primarily. Of the 14 Omicron patients in intensive care,11 have a primary COVID-19 diagnosis. 

Kenney said this data shows that some in hospital for other ailments that aren't related to COVID-19. 

"The non-ICU side, at least we can expect that a significant number of the COVID-related hospitalization figures are for people who are not primarily hospitalized or affected by COVID," he said. 

Alberta Health also reported eight new deaths related to COVID, bringing the pandemic total to 3,352.

The province reported 4,704 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday, detected through 12,201 PCR tests with a positivity rate around 38.5 per cent.

The number of known active cases is now 58,613, though the case numbers do not include those who test positive or a rapid test or those with COVID-19 who aren't tested at all. The province is currently reserving PCR tests for those with risk factors for severe outcomes and those who live or work in high-risk settings.

As of the province's latest update, 7,927,682 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered.