Vaccinated hospital patients outpace the unvaccinated, but it doesn't mean the shots don't work: experts
Numbers showing the majority of Alberta's COVID-19 hospital admissions are in vaccinated individuals don't tell the entire story, regardless of what some conspiracy theorists believe.
Albertans with at least one shot took over more hospital beds than those without this week.
But the raw numbers are incomplete, and a dive into the data shows being vaccinated may be more important now than ever before.
As of Thursday, 217 unvaccinated Albertans were in hospital with COVID-19, compared to 282 patients with at least one shot.
But almost 90 per cent of the province has one dose, which means the "rate per 100,000 people" is a more telling metric to measure admissions.
By that standard, about 24 unvaccinated people per 100,000 are in an Alberta hospital.
That rate drops to fewer than eight after just one shot.
"You can reduce your risk of an unpleasant, severe or deadly illness by at least three-quarters and up to 90 per cent if you get vaccinated," Dr. Lynora Saxinger told CTV News.
But the vaccines aren't completely flawless.
More than other variants, Omicron can still infect immunized populations.
That's where severity comes into play.
"The fact that (Omicron) is rip-roaring through the population means that it might not be reasonable to expect that people will not get infected with it, but the severity really does count an awful lot in your life experience and also in the effect on the healthcare system," Saxinger said. "Although these vaccines are a little bit leaky in terms of preventing transmission, they do reduce it. People who have been vaccinated carry less virus for a shorter time and transmit less.
"They are not perfect, but unfortunately we don't have the option of perfect."
Unvaccinated ICU patients with COVID-19 far outnumber those who are vaccinated.
The former tallied 47 in Alberta Thursday. The latter, 18.
The numbers are just as imbalanced using proper metrics: 5.2 unvaccinated people per 100,000 are in the ICU. That rate drops to 0.4 with two doses.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada's housing market sees largest improvement in affordability in four years: National Bank
Canada’s housing market saw the largest improvement in affordability in nearly four years in the first quarter of 2023, according to a report from economists at the National Bank of Canada.

Prison service to review decision to transfer killer Bernardo to medium security
The federal prison service says it will have a second look at its decision to move convicted killer Paul Bernardo to a medium-security facility as political leaders of all stripes react to the news with shock and outrage.
About ducking time: Apple to tweak iPhone autocorrect function
One of the most notable happenings at Apple's event for developers on Monday is likely the iPhone maker's tweak that will keep its autocorrect feature from annoyingly correcting one of the most common expletives to 'ducking.'
Poilievre threatens to filibuster budget bill if Liberals don't meet demands
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is threatening to use procedural tools to delay passage of the federal budget in the House of Commons if the Liberals don't meet his demands.
Here's what Quebec's wildfires look like from outer space
A photo taken from NASA show what the wildfires burning in Quebec look like from up above.
Facing evacuations due to a forest fire or flood? Here’s what to pack in a grab-and-go bag
While some natural disasters or bouts of extreme weather may require sheltering in place until authorities can restore power to the area, others require residents to evacuate quickly, sometimes in a matter of hours — and if you want to be prepared, you should create a grab-and-go bag.
Canada facing critical shortages of leukemia and thyroid cancer drugs
Canada is currently facing a critical shortage of drugs used to fight thyroid cancer and a form of leukemia.
Using melatonin for sleep is on the rise, study says, despite potential health harms
More and more adults are taking over-the-counter melatonin to get to sleep, and some may be using it at dangerously high levels, a study has found.
Small-brained ancient human cousins may have buried their dead, according to a surprising study
An ancient human cousin may have buried its dead and carved symbols into cave walls, surprising findings for a creature with a small brain.