Your weekly COVID-19 update

Every Tuesday, the Maclean's daily newsletter will catch you up on what you need to know about Canada's fight against the coronavirus. This week, Patricia Treble focuses on one story worth watching, and you can get a sneak peek here. You'll also get the same mix of Maclean's stories you expect every day if you scroll down below.

On Monday, Alberta’s health minister, Tyler Shandro, said that the province would not be moving to a more relaxed Step 3 in its reopening plan. That’s because hospitalizations in the province have not only plateaued in recent weeks—just below the 300-bed cutoff—but are expected to again cross above that line in coming days as variants of concern (VOCs) cause a surge in new cases, including another 456 on Monday. “There will be no easing of any restrictions at this time,” Shandro said. “This is the safe move; it’s the smart move to make for our province right now, and it’s absolutely necessary to help us avoid a third wave that would take more lives and once again put more pressure on the hospital system.”

That same day, 33 COVID-19 patients were admitted to intensive care units in Ontario, the highest daily admission count since the peak of the second wave, according to Dr. Irfan Dhalla, a vice-president at Unity Health in Toronto. Even more worrying is the fact that the number of COVID-19 patients currently in Ontario ICUs is only down12 per cent from that same peak, meaning any new patients are being admitted to units still straining to deal with a high patient load.

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