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Alberta identifies eight new Omicron variant COVID-19 cases

Red Deer falls to 76 active cases
27421078_web1_210921-RDA-COVID-19-Update-Hinshaw-Sept_1
Alberta’s total Omicron variant case count is now 12. Province’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw identified eight new Omicron variant COVID-19 cases on Monday. (Chris Schwartz/Alberta Government) Alberta’s total Omicron variant case count is now 12. Province’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw identified eight new Omicron variant COVID-19 cases on Monday. (Chris Schwartz/Alberta Government)

Alberta has identified eight new Omicron variant COVID-19 cases since Friday, the province’s chief medical officer of health announced Monday morning.

These additional cases brings Alberta’s total Omicron variant case count to 12 – 11 of those have been identified in returning travellers and one is a household contact.

“These individuals are isolating, and all appropriate public health follow-up is underway,” said Dr. Deena Hinshaw.

“To date, only mild symptoms have been reported and these individuals are recovering at home. As with the other cases, these individuals have done nothing wrong and should not be stigmatized.”

Some household members of these cases have tested positive for COVID-19, but have not yet been confirmed as Omicron, Hinshaw explained.

“One household contact recently attended an elementary school in (Alberta Health Services’ North zone) and one attended a high school. Out of an abundance of caution, we have notified the schools.”

Alberta Health will provide these schools with rapid tests.

“Finding additional cases is not unexpected, and identifying these cases early is a testament to the work of our public health lab and front-line public health teams. We will continue to monitor the situation carefully and keep Albertans updated,” said Hinshaw.

Alberta identified 788 total COVID-19 cases over the weekend: 349 on Friday, 252 on Saturday and 187 on Sunday. There are now 4,374 active cases of the virus in the province, to go along with the 329,543 recovered cases and 3,263 deaths.

The City of Red Deer now has 76 active cases of the virus, which is 14 fewer than the 90 listed in Friday’s update, according to geospatial mapping on the provincial government’s website. Red Deer has recorded 9,281 recovered cases and 83 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.

Red Deer County has 45 active cases, Mountain View County has 37, the City of Lacombe has 27, Clearwater County has 25, Lacombe County has 24, Olds has 17, Stettler County has 12 and Sylvan Lake has nine.

Wetaskiwin County, including Maskwacis, has 69 active cases, while Ponoka, including East Ponoka County, has 10 and Rimbey, including West Ponoka County and part of Lacombe County, has six.

Drumheller has 20 active cases, the City of Camrose has 16, and Camrose County and Kneehill County have 12 each.

Provincially, 366 people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, including 72 who have been admitted into an intensive care unit. There are 64 hospitalizations in the Central zone, including five in the ICU.

Of Alberta’s current hospitalizations, 62.57 per cent are unvaccinated, 33.33 per cent are completely vaccinated and 4.1 per cent are partially vaccinated. Of the province’s total active cases, 55.05 per cent are unvaccinated, 41.72 per cent are completely vaccinated and 3.22 per cent are partially vaccinated.



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