COVID-related hospitalizations continue record climb, 86% of ICU admissions unvaxxed

CALGARY — Alberta reported 1,651 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday afternoon.

The new case numbers come after more than 16,800 tests were completed, for a positivity rate of around 9.8 per cent.

Of new cases in the province, more than 69 per cent are unvaccinated.

NEW:

– 1651 new COVID cases in Alberta on 16848 (9.8%+)
– 11 new deaths
– a record 1061 COVID patients in hospital (+3), incl 243 in ICU (+17)
– 20040 active cases (-140)#yeg #yyc #ableg #Covid19ab pic.twitter.com/UFQU29hwop

— Courtney Theriault (@cspotweet) September 24, 2021

While new case numbers have held steady over the last week, hospitalizations continue to rise.

There are now 1,061 people in hospital with COVID-19, 243 of which are in the ICU.

Of those in hospital with COVID-19, 804 are unvaccinated — while more than 86 per cent of those admitted to the ICU have yet to receive a vaccine dose.

Deaths in the province also continue to climb, as the province reported another 11 people died from COVID-19 over the last day.

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• Emergency doctor says key parts of health triage have begun in Alberta

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As for vaccinations in Alberta, the province is approaching six million doses administered.

As of Friday, more than 5.96 million shots have been put in the arms of Albertans.

Of the eligible population, 82.3 per cent have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 73.4 per cent are now fully vaccinated.