Alberta has its first case of the Omicron COVID-19 variant.
During a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Dr. Deena Hinshaw informed the public they have confirmed the first case of the variant in the province. The case was found in an asymptomatic returning traveler from Nigeria and the Netherlands.
Hinshaw reports they have been in isolation since arriving in Canada.
"I don't want Albertans to be alarmed. We anticipated the arrival of this variant in the province eventually based on what we have seen in previous strains of COVID-19," she said. "We are well prepared for this eventuality."
The new COVID-19 variant is associated with increased transmissibility and mutations. While more research on the variant has to be done, Hinshaw believes the vaccine should still provide some protection.
The province has identified 238 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Currently, 424 people are in the hospital, and 81 are in intensive care.
Alberta Health Services is reporting 4,850 active cases of COVID-19 in Alberta.
Six new deaths were reported in the province, bringing the total to 3,242 since the start of the pandemic.
As for the local area, here are the number of active cases on Tuesday:
- Cochrane: 64 cases
- Rocky View County: 64 cases
- City of Calgary: 1244 cases
- Municipal District Of Bighorn No. 8: 17 cases
The total percent of local people fully immunized with the vaccine as of Tuesday:
- Cochrane - Springbank: 74.6 percent
- Canmore (Kananaskis - Bighorn Md - Stoney - West Rocky View County): 80.3 percent
- Didsbury (Carstairs & South Mountain View): 65 percent