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Alberta’s top doctor will give an update on COVID-19 in the province Thursday afternoon.
On Wednesday, the province reported 202 new variant cases – breaking records for the fourth time in a week –and Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said more restrictions may be in order if they continue rising.
“If we’re seeing the spread and the transmission of our cases — and particularly variant cases — continuing to rise, it may be possible, it may be necessary, to bring in additional restrictions,” she said.
Alberta has the highest number of variant cases in the country. Hinshaw said variants now make up about 19 per cent of all active cases, with almost 99 per cent of these the U.K. variant B.1.1.7. More restrictions were needed in places where the variant has become dominant, she said.
“We saw in the U.K. earlier this year that the variant strains rise very quickly, and that in some cases additional restrictions have been needed to prevent further spread and to prevent that impact on hospitals and ICU use,” she said.
Total COVID-19 cases in Alberta, including active and recovered, have nearly doubled within a week, jumping to 2,110 Wednesday from 1,097 on March 17.
Hinshaw will speak at 3:30 p.m.
More to come
