Alberta shatters previous COVID case record in preliminary numbers update

The province is releasing an estimate of how many COVID cases have been confirmed over the last day and the preliminary numbers are staggering.

Just one day after breaking the record for most infections in a single day in the province with 2,775, Alberta is reporting roughly 4,000 new cases of COVID-19.

NEW:

Alberta sets new daily record for COVID cases with an estimated 4000 cases (and a positivity rate of 30%)#yeg #yyc #ableg #covid19ab

— Courtney Theriault (@cspotweet) December 30, 2021

The province also says the positivity rate over the last day was around 30 per cent.

Should those numbers hold true, it will break the record for the most infections and highest positivity rate reported in a single day in Alberta.

Meanwhile, there are now an estimated 371 people in hospital, with 48 in the ICU.

Hospitalizations numbers have continued to see a steady increase over the last several days, now increasing by more than 20 patients over the last 24 hours.

Live COVID-19 update cancelled 

Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, was due to hold a live update on Thursday afternoon to update the province on the situation surrounding Omicron, with many expecting an update on schooling for next week.

Earlier on Thursday, Hinshaw announced in a series of tweets that the live update was now being pushed to Friday afternoon as she attends a COVID cabinet committee meeting.

This afternoon, I will take part in a #COVID19AB cabinet committee meeting to discuss the latest developments and trends with the Omicron variant and the ongoing work to protect Albertans. Therefore, this afternoon’s scheduled live update will be moved to Friday, Dec. 31. (1/2)

— Alberta Chief Medical Officer of Health (@CMOH_Alberta) December 30, 2021

Friday’s live update is expected to begin at 3:30 p.m. MT and will be carried live on this site.