Alberta releases updated COVID-19, RSV, influenza numbers
Posted September 18, 2023 11:04 am.
Last Updated September 18, 2023 11:34 am.
In an update Monday, the province says from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8, there were a total of 559 cases of COVID-19 reported in Alberta.
There were 92 related hospitalizations, with three individuals requiring admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Five Albertans died from COVID-19 in that same time period, according to the province.
As of Sept. 8, LaGrange said in a statement that 417 people were in hospital, and seven were in the ICU.
Around 20 per cent of patients were admitted with COVID-19 as the “primary or significant contributing cause for admission to hospital,” she added.
The release of these numbers has been a long time coming, as data set to be released ahead of the school year — on Aug. 30 — never was.
So, the most recent data ahead of this Monday update was from July 24.
Read more: Alberta making changes to COVID-19 reporting
The province chalked these delays up to an overhaul of the reporting dashboard, which will report data on COVID-19, RSV, and influenza, once completed.
It adds that that work is currently underway and will be available in the coming weeks. This change will bring Alberta’s COVID-19 reporting system into lines with other provinces such as B.C., Saskatchewan, and Nova Scotia, the health ministry claims.
Numbers from July 24 to Aug. 27 will be made available following the completion of the dashboard, the province says.
In her update, LaGrange said it’s important to you follow proper hygiene protocols like handwashing and staying home when sick.
“It also means respecting those who choose to wear a mask,” she added.
The updated dashboard will report data from respiratory illnesses across the province, as opposed to just COVID-19.
LaGrange said there have been 28 cases of influenza and five lab-confirmed cases of RSV since Aug. 28.
