Everything you need to know about COVID-19 in Alberta on Tuesday, Jan. 4

The latest COVID-19 numbers:

• Premier Jason Kenney and Alberta's chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, gave an updateon COVID-19 on Tuesday.
• Regular weekday reporting has resumed.
• Dec. 294,172 new cases out of13,257tests.
• Dec. 304,641 new cases out of13,385 tests.
• Dec. 314,570 new cases out of 12,753 tests.
• Jan. 13,323 new cases out of 9,452tests.
• Jan. 22,059 new cases out of 7,081tests.
• Jan. 33,013 new cases out of 8,232tests.
• Hinshaw said Tuesday that the province's positivity rate over the past four days has ranged from 28 per cent to 36 per cent, the highest seen with any variant.
• Since Dec. 26, there have been 12 deaths related to COVID-19. Hinshaw said one of those deaths has been confirmed to be a child between the ages of 5 and 9. Hinshaw said the child hada complex medical condition.
• There are34,276active cases in the province.
• There are 436 people with COVID in hospital, including 61 in ICU.
• Kenney said nearly 15 million rapid antigen tests will arrive in Alberta beforethe end of January. The first priority will be getting them into schools, he said.
• Hinshaw said front-line health-care workers have experienced the trauma of repeated waves over the past two years, and each wave takes an additional toll.
• Most Albertans are being urged to skipPCR tests and insteaduse at-home rapid antigen testing or assume they have COVID if they're symptomatic.
• Hinshaw said on Dec. 31that although it seems that a smaller percentage of Omicron cases are requiring acute care, it can beexpected that a greater number of people infected will soon translate into a greater number of people in hospital.

• 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 | How to use a take home COVID-19 test kit:

How to use a take home COVID-19 test kit

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With the province releasing home rapid COVID-19 test kits, Edmonton pharmacist Shivali Sharma shows CBCs Pippa Reed how to use one properly.

The latest on isolation, school reopenings, restrictionsand more:

• People in Alberta with at least two doses of vaccine who test positive for COVID-19 will now need to isolate for only five days instead of 10. Health Minister Jason Copping announced the change in a provincial update with Dr. Deena Hinshaw on Dec. 31.
  • If symptoms continue past five days, fully vaccinated people must continue to isolate untilfeeling better.
  • If they're symptom free after five days, they must wear a mask around others at all times when they're outside their home.
  • The change does not apply to people who aren't fully vaccinated, who must continue to isolate for10 days or until their symptoms end, whichever is longer.
  • Copping said the change followed evidence that suggests fully immunized people have shorter infectious periods.
  • This change also follows the approach taken by Ontario and some other provinces, as well as the latest guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control in the United States, Copping said.
  • Exceptions will be provided for workplaces where disruption of service for 24 hours or more would be harmful to the public, and where there is no other way to continue the service except by bringing workers back before their isolation period has ended, Copping said.
  • In these circumstances, additional public health measures will be required. For example, Copping said returning workers would not be allowed to remove their masks when in the same room as anyone else at any time.
• No new restrictions were announced on Dec. 31, but Hinshaw and Coppingurged everyone to cut their close contacts in half. Hinshaw said that people should assume that wherever they go and whatever they do, someone is infected with the highly contagious Omicron variant even if they're not showing symptoms.
• On Dec. 30, the province announced it was delaying the reopening of schools provincewide.Schools'winter break for K-Grade 12 students will be extendedto Jan. 10. Education Minister Adriana LaGrange announced Thursday:
  • Due to the disruption to learning, January diploma exams will also be cancelled.
  • 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.
• The Omicron variant had already prompted several post-secondary institutions across the province toreturn to online learningfor the first few weeks of the winter term.

WATCH | What is the Omicron variant?

What is the Omicron variant?

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Infectious disease expert Craig Jenne simplifies what the variant is, and what it means for the latest round in our battle against COVID.

• Kenney saysAlberta 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.
• Another one million rapid tests bought by Alberta have arrived and another three million will arrive the week of Jan. 3, Kenney says. The province bought its own 10 million rapid tests.
• There are active outbreaks at seven acute care sites across the province, AHS reported Thursday.
• Correctional Service Canadasays13 inmates and 41 employees at Drumheller Institution have tested positive for COVID-19.

WATCH |Omicron cases 'just the tip of the iceberg,' Dr. Hinshaw says:

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.

• 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.
  • 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 latest on vaccines:

• Hinshaw urged Albertans to book their third dose of vaccine, regardless of which mRNA is available to them,after reports that some people are waiting for Pfizer to be available.
• As of Jan. 4, 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.
  • 72.4per 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.
  • 78.9per centof the province's total population, and 83.5per cent of those ages five and older, have received at least one dose.

• 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.
• The City of Calgary's mobile COVID vaccination program is continuing until at least Jan. 17, and will be providing booster shots at various locations around Calgary.Itwas slated to end on Dec. 31,but the city said Monday it has received additional vaccine supply from the province.

See which regions are being hit hardest:

Here is thelatest detailed regional breakdownof active cases, as reported by the province onTuesday:

• Calgary zone: 17,082.
• Edmonton zone: 12,760.
• Central zone:1,602.
• North zone:1,219.
• South zone:1,132.
• Unknown:481.

Here are the latest Alberta COVID-19 stories:

The latest updates on COVID-19 in Alberta in charts and graphs: