The province is reducing isolation times for people exposed to COVID-19.
Effective Thursday (Feb.3), Alberta will recommend unvaccinated asymptomatic household contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases stay home for ten days after exposure instead of the current 14-day recommendation.
Chief medical officer of health, Dr Deena Hinshaw, explained the change falls in line with new data.
“[This] aligns with data showing the incubation period for Omicron is shorter than previous variants,” Hinshaw said.
The changes apply to all Albertans, including those in continuing care.
Currently, there are 1,584 people in hospital with COVID-19, including 112 in intensive care. Sixteen new deaths were reported on Thursday, bringing the total to 3,608 since the start of the pandemic.
The province reported 2,370 lab-confirmed cases of the virus; there are 33,879 known active cases of COVID-19 in Alberta.
Hinshaw was also asked about remarks the premier made on Tuesday when he said public health measures, including the Restrictions Exemption Program, could be ending this month. She said that the acute care system remains under significant strain, and we must “continue to make the right choices.”
Dr. Hinshaw says other provinces are planning toward a different way of managing COVID, and she agrees that there is a need to move to an endemic response. After the Omicron wave subsides, Hinshaw believes the risk of the system becoming overwhelmed will be severely reduced.