"Early indications" show that Alberta has surpassed peak of Omicron wave
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says that there are “early indications” that the province has passed the peak of the Omicron COVID-19 wave, but pressure on hospitals continues.
During a Thursday afternoon press conference, Kenney told Albertans that he had some good news to share, “but also a word of caution.”
“The good news is that there are some early indications that Alberta has reached and surpassed the peak of infections in our province,” Kenney said.
The premier noted that “it’s still early days,” but said that, of the 19 communities where health officials are doing wastewater analysis, they have seen in samples and studies that COVID-19 is declining in 15 communities.
Kenney added that, most importantly, there have been significant declines as of January 16 in Calgary and Edmonton, which were among the earliest hit by the Omicron wave.
Since Omicron didn’t affect all communities simultaneously, Kenney says we can expect to see “regional variances.”
Alberta has also begun to see stabilization and decline in the province’s COVID-19 positivity rate. A week ago today, Alberta was at a positivity rate of 41%, and yesterday, officials were reporting 33%.
“We would obviously like to see that trend continue,” added Kenney, “but what we do know looking around the world is that the Omicron waves of transmission have typically peaked about four weeks after they began.”
Alberta passed 50% of COVID-19 cases being identified as Omicron on December 16, meaning the province is now five weeks from that point. Based on evidence from around the world, Kenney says that we can “reasonably expect” that Alberta is at the beginning of the downslope of transmission.
Despite this, there continues to be growing pressure in Alberta hospitals, particularly in non-intensive care beds. Current COVID-19 hospitalizations have surpassed any other time in the pandemic.
To protect the province’s healthcare system capacity, the Alberta government is introducing several new measures.
Existing hospital beds are being allocated for COVID-19 patients, and additional beds are being opened in some locations as needed. Starting January 24 (or sooner, if required), a number of beds in pandemic response units will be opened at the Kaye Edmonton Clinic and Calgary’s South Health Campus in Calgary.
As well, alternate team-based care models are being implemented across the province as necessary. This means that, instead of individual healthcare providers caring for a smaller number of patients, a team that has a complete skill set and relevant experience collectively cares for a larger group of patients.
A total of 610 nursing students have joined the Alberta Health Services team and will work and get educational credit for assisting through this wave.
Additionally, AHS is working closely with Primary Care Networks to provide community resources for those managing their illness at home.
According to data shared by Kenney, 40% of non-ICU patients in hospital with COVID-19 were admitted for the virus, while 45% were admitted for other reasons and then tested positive for the virus. “A small percentage” were admitted where COVID-19 was not the primary reason, but was a contributing factor.
Kenney offered “a word of caution,” saying that even if a patient who is asymptomatic for COVID-19 is admitted to hospital and tests positive, they do require additional treatment protocols, isolation, and a different standard of personal protective equipment for staff, which adds to the pressure on Alberta’s hospitals.
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