Omicron spread puts Alberta at critical point in fight against COVID-19, experts say
CBC
Record case numbers show Alberta is at a critical point in the battle against COVID-19 while public health experts warn that the danger of Omicron infections must not be underplayed.
The highly contagious variant is spreading like wildfire in the province.
On Thursday, Alberta reported its highest ever single-day increase in new COVID-19 infections, with 4,000 new cases.
The case numbers shattered the previous daily of record of 2,775, reported Wednesday.
Across the province, the test positivity rate is hovering around 30 per cent, the highest it has been since the start of the pandemic almost 22 months ago.
The active case count more than doubled in less than a week, the province said. On Dec. 23, Alberta's active case count stood at 8,359. By Dec. 28 it was almost 17,400.
As of Thursday, 371 Albertans were in hospital with COVID-19, including 48 in intensive care.
A total of 7,025 Omicron cases have been reported in the province.
Alberta is among a growing number of jurisdictions cutting back on PCR testing as Omicron threatens to overwhelm lab capacity, limiting the province's ability to accurately track the spread of COVID-19.
The high positivity rate suggests the province is already missing a significant number of cases, said Dr. James Talbot, Alberta's former chief medical officer of health.
He fears the health-care system will again be pushed to the breaking point.
The record case numbers are "very serious," Talbot said Thursday. "It's a huge increase in a very short period of time. And it is, obviously, not all of the cases."
The province should have already adopted more stringent public health measures to tamper down on Omicron, Talbot said.
Large public gatherings, along with open classrooms, could result in super-spreader events, he said. Alberta needs to ramp up targeted vaccinations for children, he said.
