Alberta logs record 2,433 COVID-19 cases, scales back variant testing

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Alberta’s record surge of COVID-19 infections reached new heights Saturday, as the province reported 2,433 new cases.

It’s by far the most cases logged in Alberta in a single day, a significant step up from the 2,048 and 2,007 infections reported Thursday and Friday, respectively.

The cases came from 20,457 tests, representing an 11.9 per cent positivity rate, also an all-time high.

The surge has overwhelmed Alberta’s ability to process new cases, forcing the province to scale back variant testing efforts.

An Alberta Precision Laboratories bulletin issued Friday indicates that starting Saturday, only positive cases from specific populations will be screened for more-contagious variants of concern.

Only cases that involve patients in hospitals or emergency rooms, health-care workers, recent international travellers or identified outbreaks will be tested for variants.

Swelling volumes of cases mean only these groups, considered to represent high-risk scenarios, will have their tests screened for variant strains, according to the memo.

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“Positivity rates and overall test volumes of COVID-19 have rapidly increased, necessitating a change in the testing strategy to maintain laboratory capacity and turnaround times,” the bulletin read.

On Saturday, Alberta reported 1,743 new cases of variants, including 1,336 cases of the dominant B.1.1.7 strain, 392 cases of the P.1 strain and 15 cases of the B.1.351 strain. There are 13,986 active variant cases, comprising 62.1 per cent of Alberta’s total active infections.

That number could decrease in coming days, as fewer tests are completed to screen for variants. Alberta has tested all cases for variants each day since Feb. 3.

Alberta Health Services said the move to decrease variant testing was done to ensure Albertans receive test results more quickly.

“As the United Kingdom (B.1.1.7) variant is now the dominant strain in Alberta, and we are able to monitor for other variants through a targeted strategy, it is no longer necessary to screen all positive tests for variants,” the health authority said in a statement. They said Alberta has “the most robust strategy in Canada” for monitoring COVID-19 spread.

In early April, Alberta Health said they had capacity to test about 1,600 cases for variants daily. They did not provide an updated count on request Saturday.

The drop-off in variant testing means Alberta will be “driving blind” when it comes to spread of the more-transmissive strains, said Malgorzata Gasperowicz, a developmental biologist at the University of Calgary.

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“I understand why they’re doing it, because everything is overwhelmed. If you don’t have resources, it’s a smart thing to do. If you can’t test all people, you test those in the hospitals. But it just shows that we’re overwhelmed, our resources are overwhelmed,” Gasperowicz said.

Gasperowicz said the lack of population-level testing for variants will mean the province won’t know if another variant takes over and becomes dominant in Alberta.

She called the new case rates the “worst situation” Alberta has seen to date, saying new restrictions announced Thursday, which close junior and senior high schools and indoor sport in virus hotspots, are insufficient to drive down spread.

“They’re disproportionate to the severity of the situation, because this is much worse than what we had during the second wave,” Gasperowicz said. “I really thought that something would be done before we reached these numbers.”

According to Gasperowicz’s projections, daily case counts could reach 3,000 by May 12 at the current rate of growth. It’s a situation she said would be even worse if widespread immunizations were not already underway.

Alberta chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw did not address the spike in cases Saturday. She posted on Twitter asking Albertans to follow all public-health measures through the weekend.

NDP Opposition health critic David Shepherd called the case count “alarming,” laying blame for the surge with Alberta’s premier.

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“Jason Kenney’s policy of acting last and acting least is an utter and abject failure,” Shepherd said. “We have gotten here today due to his failure to act with the evidence and public-health advice.”

Shepherd also criticized UCP deputy speaker Angela Pitt for a Facebook post opposing the latest round of restrictions, saying the rules aren’t working. Pitt’s riding of Airdrie-East is among regions in Alberta considered a viral hotspot and subject to the new measures.

Outside Bowden, about 105 kilometres north of Calgary, thousands attended a rodeo in defiance of public-health restrictions, according to CTV Calgary.

Current rules prohibit all gatherings of more than 10 people, but hundreds of cars filed in to the event. RCMP did not take enforcement action, while AHS said they were considering legal action against organizers.

Alberta’s active case count climbed to another new high Saturday, with 22,504 total active infections.

Hospitalization rates remained stable, with 646 Albertans in hospital with COVID-19, 152 of whom are in intensive-care units.

One new death from the virus was reported, bringing Alberta’s toll from the pandemic to 2,083.

Despite the recent jump in cases, AHS said their contact tracing systems have not yet been overwhelmed. They claimed contact tracing teams complete investigations for all COVID-19 cases received each day. Some contacts may hear about their exposure directly from the original case, or from their workplace or school.

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There are currently about 2,500 contact tracers in Alberta. AHS said they would continue to scale up contact tracing operations “if the case numbers continue to surge.”

Alberta’s contact tracing system collapsed last November, early in the second wave, leading to a high proportion of cases with unknown origin. Over the last two weeks, 36 per cent of all new cases do not have a known source.

Immunizations against COVID-19 continue in Alberta, with another 34,953 doses administered Friday.

In total, 1.3 million Albertans have at least one dose, representing 29 per cent of the population, and 36.2 per cent of those age 16 or over.

jherring@postmedia.com

Twitter: @jasonfherring