Changes to COVID testing in Alberta as 17,000+ new cases reported through weekend

Alberta is making some changes to the way it tests people for COVID-19 in the province.

Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, says with the rise of Omicron infections, PCR testing has been pushed beyond capacity.

She says, at this point, the time to get results back is close to 48 hours.

WATCH: Dr. Deena Hinshaw provides an update on COVID-19 in Alberta

“PCR testing eligibility will now be focused on those with clinical risk factors for severe outcomes and those who live or work in high-risk settings,” she explained.

“Effective immediately, PCR tests will be available for only those in specific categories.”

Hinshaw says some of those eligible to continue receiving the tests are continuing care residents, healthcare workers, and staff in acute and continuing care settings.

Additionally, Hinshaw says going to an emergency department does not make someone eligible to receive a PCR test.

Going to an ER does make someone eligible for a PCR test- only go if you are in need of urgent care.

— Courtney Theriault (@cspotweet) January 10, 2022

Albertans who currently have PCR tests booked and are not eligible are being asked to cancel their appointments.

For anyone who has been asked to present a positive COVID test result to obtain a doctor’s note or for other purposes, Hinshaw says a new PDF form has been developed to aid in that field.

“Patients can use this form to enter their name, the time the test was taken, and other useful information that might be needed if they are asked to show a positive result,” she said.

“I want to emphasize that I urge employers and organizations to not require proof of a positive COVID-19 result to support sick leave requests right now.”

Weekend COVID-19 numbers update

Meanwhile, through the weekend Alberta reported more than 17,000 new cases of COVID-19 on more than 45,000 tests.

The average positivity rate for the last three days was roughly 39 per cent.

Currently, there are at least 57,332 active cases of COVID-19 in Alberta — an increase of nearly 14,000 from Friday.

UPDATE:

Fri: 6161 cases/15010 tests (41%+)
Sat: 6135 cases /16273 tests (37.7%+)
Sun: 5281 cases/ 13879 (38%+)

– 635 in hospital (+131), incl 72 in ICU (+8)
– 6 new COVID deaths
– 57, 332 active cases (+13918)#yeg #Yyc #ableg #covid19ab pic.twitter.com/Vbz56bpLFV

— Courtney Theriault (@cspotweet) January 10, 2022

When asked if she has an estimate of just how many people could actually have COVID-19 in Alberta, Hinshaw said a conservative estimate would be about 10 times more than what is reported.

Using Hinshaw's conservative estimate, 570k Albertans would have COVID at *this* moment based on active cases of 57k.

That would be 13% of all Albertans. #yeg #Yyc #ableg #Covid19ab https://t.co/OFTw2Z98Yi

— Courtney Theriault (@cspotweet) January 10, 2022

Hospitalization numbers shot up since Friday’s update, with 635 people now in hospital — an increase of 131 patients since Friday. Of those in hospital, 72 are in the ICU.

Alberta Health also reporting six more people died with COVID-19 over the weekend.

As for vaccinations in the province, more than 7.9 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to date.

To date, 79.7 per cent of all Albertans have received at least one shot, while 73.2 per cent have two doses.