Alberta surpasses 5K COVID deaths; impacted family, experts call for continued vigilance

Alberta has now tipped over the 5,000 mark for COVID-19 deaths, hitting close to home for a Calgary family grieving a loved one who died after contracting the infection earlier this year.

Sujata Dey lost her father to COVID-19 nearly seven months ago, but says the grief never gets easier.

“It’s been a lot of huge adjustments trying to be there without your father,” Sujata said.

“Me and my brother have become very close because you know, we don’t have him anymore.”

Sujata’s father, Vinay, travelled from his home in Calgary to Montreal to help her with her wedding preparations. Shortly after, he tested positive for the virus and had to be hospitalized.

“My father is stubborn as hell so, he’s going to figure it out right? Like he’s got a triple bypass, diabetes, heart condition, like everything going on, and you know, he’s going to kick it,” Sujata said.

However, he died on March 28 in Montreal, shortly after his 81st birthday.

“It was just devastating,” Sujata said.

COVID continues to claim the lives of many other Albertans. As of Wednesday, 5,011 people in the province have died of the disease since the start of the pandemic.

COVID deaths passed 5,000 in Alberta this week

Twenty-eight more people died since Alberta’s last COVID update a week ago.

Hospitalizations are also up by 48 (1,118), while ICU patients are down by five (28).

Dr. Chris Mody, head of the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the University of Calgary, said there’s no indication of an imminent rise in COVID cases based on wastewater data, but he said that will likely change.

“We all realize that things are getting colder, and people are more indoors, they’re in closer proximity to others than they are during the summer,” he said.

“As we get into the holiday season, I think people are going to be spending more time together and that’s really the time when it’s at risk.”

In addition to rising COVID cases, the flu season is expected to be worse this year.

Already, there are 90 reported cases of Influenza and 15 people hospitalized.

“Two years ago, there were no cases of Influenza in Alberta and why was that? Well, the answer is because we were participating in public health measures and I don’t see that we’re going to go back to public health measures anytime soon,” Mody said.

Mody said the only protection for the flu, like COVID, is vaccination. He urges people to get both shots, which can be taken at the same time, to protect themselves and others.

“We really need to maintain vigilance about this and also maintain a population that is vaccinated with the latest vaccine to provide protection,” he said.

It’s a message Sujata also stands behind, and says her father, who was an advocate for vaccines in his community, would as well.

“We still have to be vigilant for the people who may not have the immunity that other people have, who aren’t in the situation where they’re as young and they just bounce back from it.”