COVID hospitalizations in Alberta ebb to levels not seen since July

COVID hospitalizations in Alberta continue a downward trend established in early January, according to the latest numbers released by the province on Wednesday.

As of Jan. 30, there were 702 COVID hospitalizations provincewide, a reduction of 76 from the week before, and 25 in ICU, down 4 from last week.

Albertans across all age cohorts were added to hospitalizations, and two children – one aged one to four and another aged five to nine – were added to ICU.

In Alberta, COVID hospitalizations include people who weren’t admitted to a hospital for COVID-related matters but tested positive nonetheless.

The last time there were fewer than 700 COVID hospitalizations in Alberta was July 25, 2022, after a month of hovering around the 600-mark.

The pandemic death toll increased by 21 to 5,486 in the past week. One of those deaths was an Albertan in their 40s, and the rest were Albertans 60+.

Last week, 20 deaths were attributed to the novel coronavirus. Other deaths were reclassified that week, with the province saying 25 were determined “not due to COVID-19.”

In the last seven days, 596 new cases were documented via PCR testing, a drop of 52 from the previous week, and the positivity rate remained at around 12 per cent.

Since early 2022, PCR testing has been restricted to people with clinical risk factors or who live and/or work in high-risk settings.

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