Everything you need to know about COVID-19 in Alberta on Thursday, Dec. 30

The latest COVID-19 numbers:

• Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical officer of health, announced via Twitter on Thursday that alive provincial update wouldbe moved to Fridaybecause she is taking part in acabinet committee meeting to discuss the latest developments and trends with the Omicron variant.
• Alberta Health released new preliminary estimates for COVID-19cases in the provinceThursday.
  • There werean estimated4,000 new cases reported Thursday, a new high.
  • This comes one day after the province hit its previousrecord high with2,775 new cases.
  • Hinshaw warned Tuesday she expects the active case count from government PCR tests to be "just the tip of the iceberg" of all active cases.
  • The positivity rate in Alberta is estimated to be30 per cent.
  • There are 371 people in hospital with 48 in ICU.
• Daily updates to the government'spandemic tracking dashboard haveslowed over the holidays(so the charts in this story will have gaps in data throughout the week).
• On Tuesday, Hinshawand Premier Jason Kenneyheld their first news conference since before Christmas, sayingAlberta had seen a precipitous rise in COVID-19 cases over the holidays with more than 5,000 new cases in a five-day period.
• As of Tuesday, inCalgary and Edmonton, about one in three people going for a PCR test are positive.
• However, experts and the government have warned that many more cases of COVID-19 will be going unreported since the province changed its testing protocol on Dec. 23 to discourage most people from seeking the free PCR tests through Alberta Health Services to confirm infection.
  • As of that day, thegovernment directedAlbertans toavoid getting a PCR test ifpossibleto preserve limited lab capacity for tracking outbreaks in high-risk settings such as continuing care, in response to the anticipated surge of cases tied to the more highly infectious Omicron variant.
  • 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.
  • Many doctors are urging people usingrapid antigen testing kitstoswab their throatsas well as their noses to improve their chances of detecting the virus early.

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:

• Education Minister Adriana LaGrange announced Thursday that the student winter break will be extended to Jan. 10 provincewide.
• LaGrange said the extended break will give school authorities time to gather additional data to assess staffing implications and the potential operational impacts of COVID-19.
• Due to the disruption to learning, January diploma exams will also be cancelled, LaGrange said.
• The delay will also be accompanied by the distribution of 8.6 million at-home rapid tests and medical grade masks.
• Daycares will remain open, LaGrange said.
• Late next week LaGrange will provide an update on next steps.
• 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.
• There are active outbreaks at seven acute care sites across the province, AHS reported Thursday.
• Correctional Service Canadasaid Thursday that13 inmates and 41 employees at Drumheller Institution have tested positive for COVID-19.

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: