Alberta surpasses 5,000 total COVID-19 deaths

Alberta has reached a grim milestone as it has now seen more than 5,000 deaths related to COVID-19.

Provincial data as of Monday shows5,011 deaths related to the illness an increase of 28 from last week's update. Albertahas reported the third most COVID deaths across Canada, behind Quebec (16,998 deaths)and Ontario (14,690 deaths).

The first reported COVID-19 death in the provincewas on March 18, 2020.

As of the latest update for the reporting period of Oct. 18 to24, there were 1,118 in hospital with COVID, an increase of 48 from the previous update. Included in hospitalizations are 28 ICU patients, a decrease of five from the last update.

Health officials detected 1,461 new COVID-19 cases over the past week with a positivity rate around 18.36 per cent, about the same as the previous seven-day averageof 18.45 per cent.

There is more virus circulating in the community, however, as provincial data excludes positive rapid-test results and most Albertans are ineligible to receive a PCR test.

As of end-of-day Monday, 77.8 per cent of Alberta's population have received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine; 82.2 per cent of Albertans have had at least one dose of vaccine.

Of the total population, 39.9per cent have received three doses.