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
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.