Alberta COVID-19 test positivity rate hits two-month low of `estimated' 400
Though fewer Albertans than usual were tested for COVID-19 over New Year's, the rate of people whose swabs came back positive hit a two-month low Sunday.
In a Twitter update Sunday, Alberta chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw reported an estimated 400 new cases of the novel coronavirus had been detected in the province.
The 400 new infections, the fewest since Oct. 27, came from about 8,100 tests, a significant drop in testing Hinshaw said was due to fewer Albertans being swabbed on New Year's Day. The scenario mirrored the previous Sunday's update, when 500 new cases came from only about 6,900 tests.
“Please note: fewer people were tested Jan. 1 so fewer tests were processed and reported on Jan. 2,” Hinshaw said on Twitter.
The estimated 400 new cases represent about a 4.9-per-cent positivity rate, Alberta's lowest value since Oct. 31. Over the past week, the province's test positivity rate has hovered between about seven and eight per cent.
Sunday marked the fourth consecutive day Alberta provided only “estimated” figures for case numbers and testing rates via social media.
The change in reporting is due to the holidays. A full update on the coronavirus, including a news conference with Hinshaw, is scheduled for Monday.
Hinshaw said admission rates of COVID-19 patients in hospitals and ICUS is “stable,” but it's unclear how many Albertans with the virus are receiving treatment in acute-care settings. The two metrics were also reported as stable each of the two previous days.
Alberta did not report on new deaths from the coronavirus Sunday.
The last time the province released updated information on COVID-19 fatalities was Dec. 30, when 18 more Albertans were reported to have died from the virus.
Five days' worth of data on COVID-19 deaths is expected Monday. To date, at least 1,046 Albertans have died from the coronavirus since the province recorded its first death in mid-march.
The death toll in December alone was 466. It took more than eight months for Alberta to log its first 466 deaths from COVID-19.
The update comes as Alberta accelerates its vaccine distribution, following a sluggish start.
The province dramatically missed its goal to administer the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to 29,000 Albertans by the end of 2020. At the end of day on Dec. 31, Alberta had inoculated 14,244 people, less than half the stated goal.
The arrival of the Moderna vaccine has helped speed up shots, particularly due to its logistical benefits over the Pfizer-biontech vaccine, which must be transported and stored at ultracold temperatures, according to Premier Jason Kenney. An estimated 3,000 vaccine doses were administered Jan. 1, but no updated data has been released since.
Phase 1 of the vaccination program is expected to last until April and involves immunizing front-line health-care workers, long-term care residents and staff, those over 75 years of age and First Nations seniors.
Some Alberta First Nations celebrated their first vaccinations over the holiday long weekend.
The Blood Tribe began administrating the first of two vaccine doses to residents and staff at the Kainai Continuing Care Centre on Jan. 1.
Meanwhile, the oldest resident at the Siksika Elders Lodge — 94-year-old Virginia Medicine Traveller — became the first member of Siksika Nation to be vaccinated against COVID-19 the same day.
On Wednesday, when the figures were last updated, Alberta had 14,555 active cases of the coronavirus, including 5,129 in the Alberta Health Services Calgary zone.
There were 921 Albertans in hospital with COVID-19 as of Wednesday, 152 of whom were in ICUS.