Dr. Deena Hinshaw provided the update for Thursday, April 8.

  • There were 1,429 new cases reported in the past 24 hours with a positivity rate of 9.5%. 
  • There are 340 people in the hospital and 83 in ICU. 
  • Three more deaths were recorded bringing the total in the province to 2,005.
  • There were 717 new cases of variants of concern identified which account for 45% of active cases.
  • There are active alerts or outbreaks in 414 schools accounting for 17% of schools in the province. 
  • To date, 779,817 doses of vaccine have been administered in the province. 
  • Cochrane added eight new cases for a total of 102.
  • Rocky View County also added eight for a total of 167.

Dr. Hinshaw spoke about the three variants of concern which include the B1.1.7 or UK variant, the B1.351 or South African strain, and the P.1 variant identified in Brazil.

"The good news is that all three vaccines we currently have available are effective at stopping the variant that’s most dominant in Alberta, the B.1.1.7. Evidence is less clear right now about the other two. Vaccines seem to have somewhat lower effectiveness against infection with the B.1.351 variant, although they still may provide protection against severe outcomes. For P.1, evidence is mixed and it isn’t clear whether there will be a vaccine effectiveness impact."

Dr. Hinshaw explained the understanding of the variants is constantly evolving and that is part of the reason for keeping the health measures in place even for those who have had the vaccine.