Everything you need to know about COVID-19 in Alberta on Wednesday, Dec. 29

The latest COVID-19 numbers:

• The province released updated COVID-19 numbers Wednesday,as daily case numbers hit a record high.
• There were 2,775 new COVID-19 cases Dec.28 out of9,398 tests, a new daily high for the province.
• There were 1,395 casesDec.27 out of6,473 tests.
• There were 686 cases Dec.26 out of4,084tests.
• There were 1,568 cases Dec.25 out of7,240 tests.
• There were 2,484 cases Dec.24 out of11,479 tests.
• There were 2,010 cases Dec.23 out of11,549tests.
• 349 Albertans were in hospital with COVID-19, including 57in ICU.
• There were 11 new deaths included in the updated numbers released Wednesday. A total of 3,310 Albertans have died ofCOVID-19.
• 336,917 Albertans have recovered.
• A total of7,025 Omicron cases have been reported in the province. More than half4,149 are in Calgary.
• Daily updates to the government'spandemic tracking dashboard havebeenslowed over the holidays. New data will be provided next on Jan. 4 (so the charts in this story will have gaps in data throughout the week).
• Alberta has seen a precipitous rise in COVID-19 cases over the holidays with more than 5,000 new cases in a five-day period, prompting a warning that now is the time to stop the spread from Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the province'schief medical officer of health, and Premier Jason Kenneyat the latest provincial update, on Tuesday afternoon.
• Hinshaw warned Tuesday sheexpects the active case count from governmentPCR tests are "just the tip of the iceberg"becausethey do not include people who haven't been tested or who have confirmed their cases throughrapid tests at home.
• In Calgary and Edmonton, about one in three people going for a PCR test are positive.
• Experts and the governmenthave acknowledged that futuretalliesof active COVID-19 cases in Albertawill be greatly underreported, after the government changed its testing protocols in response to the anticipated surge of cases tied to the more highly infectious Omicron variant.
  • On Dec. 23, the government urged Albertans toavoid getting a PCR test ifpossibleto preserve limited lab capacity for tracking outbreaks in high-risk settings such as continuing care. Instead, it nowrecommends home rapid antigen testing kits forpeople withsymptoms,except for some priority groups.
  • People who geta positive rapid test kit result are nowtold to consider it to be a COVID-19 confirmation; people who are feeling symptomatic are also told the same. They're being told toisolate and notify their close contacts.

Watch | Alberta's top doctor says Omicron cases spreading too fast to ID with testing:

Omicron cases just the tip of the iceberg, Dr. Hinshaw says

3 years ago

Duration 1:16

Dr. Hinshaw says Albertans should assume that someone infected with the Omicron variant is in every public place. She said in the fourth wave, the provinces tests caught about one out of every six cases, but testing cant maintain that ratio any longer.

• On Tuesday, Kenney advisedpeople to reconsider their New Year's Eve plans amidthespike inCOVID-19 cases, as well as urging eligible Albertans to get their vaccinations and booster shots as well as using rapid testing before attending gatherings.

The latest on rapid testing, restrictions, outbreaks and more:

• Kenney said Tuesday that Alberta doesn't plan to followQuebec's lead in allowing some health-care workers who have tested positive for COVID-19 or come in close contact with a confirmed case to remain on the job to protect hospital capacity. However, he didn't entirely rule it out.
• Earlier in the month, inanticipation of anticipated demand from soaringOmicron variant cases, the province directed Alberta Health Services to allowany unimmunized physicians and staff who wantto return to work to do so, with participation in a temporary testing program.
  • This affected approximately 1,400 full- and part-time staff who are not fully immunized, who have previously been placed on unpaid leave. Testing will be at staff expense.
• The government is also reviewing whether to adjust the 10-day isolation protocol for vaccinated individuals with COVID-19, Kenney said Tuesday. He notedthe U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently changed its recommendation to a five-day isolation period followed by fivedays wearing masks in public if asymptomatic. He said there could be a decision on this later in the week.
• Another one million rapid tests bought by Alberta have arrived and another three million will arrive next week, Kenney said. The province bought its own 10 million rapid tests, he said.

WATCH: How to perform the rapid antigen test:

How to use a take home COVID-19 test kit

3 years ago

Duration 1:51

With the province releasing home rapid COVID-19 test kits, Edmonton pharmacist Shivali Sharma shows CBCs Pippa Reed how to use one properly.

• New public health restrictions in Albertatookeffect on Dec. 24. They include:
  • Venues in the Restrictions Exemption Programthat seatmore than 1,000 people are to be at 50 per cent capacity.For venues with capacity of 500 to 1,000 occupants, 500 people is the limit. No food or drink can be consumed in these venues.
  • Restaurants, pubs and bars areto have a maximum table capacity of 10 people. Mingling between tables andinteractive activities like dancing or billiardsare not permitted.
  • They must stop serving liquor at 11 p.m. andclose at 12:30 a.m.
  • Hinshawstrongly urged people scale back their gatherings, but acknowledged gatherings of up to 10 people are allowed.
  • The tightened restrictions came after Kenneyloosenedprivatesocial gathering restrictions on Dec. 15,scrapping the rule that only people fromtwo households can get together indoors. He said social gatherings couldconsist of people from any household, but shouldn't exceed10 people (not counting those under age 18).He also dropped therequirement that everyoneat indoor social gatherings be fully vaccinated.
  • Alberta has had arestrictions exemption program,a voluntary vaccine passport system, in place as ofSept. 20 after suffering through adisastrous fourth wave of COVID-19.A full list of restrictions and exemptions is available on the government's website.

• The Omicron variant has prompted several post-secondary institutions across the province toreturn to online learningfor the first few weeks of the winter term.
• This includes the University of Alberta, University of Calgary, MacEwan University, University of Lethbridge, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT)and Mount Royal University.

WATCH |What is the Omicron variant?Infectious disease expert Craig Jenne simplifies what the variant is:

What is the Omicron variant?

3 years ago

Duration 5:00

Infectious disease expert Craig Jenne simplifies what the variant is, and what it means for the latest round in our battle against COVID.

The latest on vaccines:

• As of Dec. 29, Alberta placed last of all provinces and territories in terms of the percentage of eligible people (ages five and up) who had received the COVID-19 vaccine,according to CBC's vaccine tracker.
  • 72.3per cent of the province's total population or 76.8per cent of eligible Albertans(ages five years and older) have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.
  • 78.7per centof the province's total population, and 83.5per cent of those ages five and older, have received at least one dose.
  • That compares with82.5per cent of the total population Canada-wide that hasreceived at least one dose of vaccine, and 76.6per centof the total population that hasbeen fully vaccinated.Among those eligible across the country, 86.8per cent have had one dose, and 80.5per cent are fully vaccinated.
  • In Calgary, the city'smobile vaccination clinics will continue into 2022.The program was set to conclude at the end of this year, but due to Omicron it will be extended. Two mobile vaccination clinics are currently in use.

• Starting Dec. 21, the Alberta government announced that anyone aged 18 and older who received their second COVID-19 vaccine at least five months agocouldnow book a third dose.
• Boosters of thePfizer-BioNTechvaccinewill be offered to Albertans 18 to 29 years of agedue to a slightly increased risk of myocarditis in younger Albertans, especially males, from Moderna although the government emphasizes thatindividuals are much more likely to experience myocarditis from COVID-19 infection than from the vaccine.

See which regions are being hit hardest:

Here is thelatest detailed regional breakdownof active cases, as reported by the province onDec. 29:

• Calgary zone: 9,293.
• Edmonton zone: 6,216.
• Central zone:687.
• North zone:597.
• South zone:471.
• Unknown:132.

Here are the latest Alberta COVID-19 stories:

The latest updates on COVID-19 in Alberta in charts and graphs: