Here is a summary of today’s #COVID19AB update: Over the last 24 hours, we have ID’d 461 new cases & completed 12.3K+ tests. Our positivity rate stands at about 3.9%. There are active alerts/outbreaks in 300 schools, or about 12 % of schools in AB w/ 593 cases total. (1/10)

There are 591 people in hospital, incl. 112 in ICU. Unfortunately, 7 new deaths were reported in the last 24 hours. My condolences go to the loved ones of these individuals, and to anyone mourning the loss of someone they cared about, from any cause. (2/10)

I want to speak about influenza & what our current season tells us about COVID-19. Last year, we had 8,470 lab-confirmed cases of influenza in AB w/1,605 hospitalizations, 161 ICU admissions & 41 deaths. This year, we have not had 1 confirmed case of seasonal influenza. (3/10)

This is not a result of not testing or testing fewer influenza samples. Our labs are completing about 300% more influenza tests than in a typical year & 1.5M+ doses of the influenza vaccine have been administered, the highest uptake for immunizations in the last 10 yrs. (4/10)

The absence of seasonal influenza cases is a testament to our province & the power of the actions that we have been taking to protect each other. The public health measures put in place these last 11 months have stopped seasonal influenza in its tracks. (5/10)

This underscores the differences between the 2 viruses & how dangerous COVID-19 is. The measures we have put in place to fight COVID are unprecedented in ABs history. Despite these steps, there have been 122K+ cases diagnosed so far. (6/10)

More than 5.3K AB have been hospitalized, 4K more than those w/influenza last year. 850+ ppl have been admitted to ICU from COVID-19, 5x that of the 2019-20 flu season. In 11 months, COVID-19 has killed more ppl than 10 yrs of flu cases combined. (7/10)

COVID-19 is highly contagious and, w/o strong measures in place to limit spread, its impact on our health system and our province could have been catastrophic. (8/10)

Vaccines bring hope. As supply picks up, we will expand our immunization campaign to more Albertans. For now, we cannot underestimate the power of public health measures to protect us from COVID-19. Even a single case can spark an outbreak. (9/10)

By limiting in-person interactions, we help to stop the virus from spreading in our communities. By wearing a mask, we protect those around us. And by staying at home if we’re ill, we help stop the chain of transmission. (10/10)