Active COVID-19 cases across Alberta began rising once the government began Phase 2 of "A Path Forward" and have continued to rise since. The variants of concern, particularly the variant first identified in the United Kingdom, have spread quickly, now accounting for approximately 39% of Alberta's active COVID cases.

Chief Medical Officer of Health, Doctor Deena Hinshaw, has not given a live update on COVID-19 numbers in Alberta since late March but has given updated numbers online through social media. In her latest update addressing a variant outbreak that's concerning to her and the AHS team, many Albertans felt like they didn't get enough information to take the proper steps in avoiding the outbreak.

"I also want to update Albertans on the #COVID19AB outbreak involving P.1 variants of concern. At this time, the outbreak appears linked to a large employer with multiple sites across Western Canada. The outbreak started with a traveller returning to Alberta from out of province. To date, the spread has been confined to 3 work sites in the Central and North Zone, where employees travelled between sites." said Hinshaw in a tweet from this afternoon (April 5).

In the same thread, Hinshaw says there is another P.1 outbreak in the southern part of Alberta.

"A separate, unrelated P1 outbreak has been reported at a workplace in Calgary Zone. There are currently 5 cases linked to this outbreak, including 1 confirmed case of the P1 variant. Health officials are also working with the employer and supporting anyone at risk."

This series of tweets drew some criticism from Albertans for being too vague.

"Thanks for your patience." says Hinshaw, "These investigations are complex & it's important that we ensure information is accurate & that anyone at risk is directly contacted before sharing details. We also must balance the public desire for info with protecting patient confidentiality."

P1 is the variant of concern first identified in Brazil and is the most recent variant to have been discovered after the variants found in the United Kingdom and South Africa.

Here are the number of new COVID-19 cases from over the long weekend:

  • 1,081 cases on April 1st
  • 1,071 cases on April 2nd
  • 948 cases on April 3rd
  • 887 cases on April 4th

There are now 10,582 active cases of COVID-19 in Alberta. According to AHS, approximately 4,145 of those active cases are variants.

Many Albertans are keeping their eyes on hospitalizations and vaccinations, as those are the two biggest factors contributing to when life can begin sliding in the 'normal' direction. Right now, there are 312 Albertans in the hospital due to COVID and 76 in intensive care. Approximately 707,400 vaccinations have been administered across Alberta.

In Airdrie, there are 189 active cases of COVID-19.

In Rocky View County, there are 140.