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Starting Monday, Paxlovid will be available to specific groups of people who have tested positive on a lab-based COVID-19 test.

Premier Jason Kenney says his government will move toward a widespread relaxation of public health measures once pressure on the health system and COVID-19 hospitalizations trend down.

Premier Jason Kenney says his government will move toward a widespread relaxation of public health measures once pressure on the health system and COVID-19 hospitalizations trend down.

Alberta is seeing early signs that the transmission of the Omicron variant may be slowing, Health Minister Jason Copping said Tuesday. But as in previous waves during the COVID-19 pandemic, admissions to hospitals continue to rise, he said.

For the first time ever there are more than 1,300 people are in hospital with COVID-19 in Alberta. There have now been 3,470 deaths since the start of the pandemic, an increase of 41 from Friday's update.

Alberta is lagging behind all other Canadian provinces and territories when it comes to getting children aged five to 11 vaccinated against COVID-19, data shows.

COVID hospitalizations in Alberta reached a new high on Friday of 1,191 patients.

Government figures say only 42.5 per cent of kids between the ages of five and 11 have received their first dose, while children younger than five years old are not eligible. 

COVID hospitalizations in Alberta reached a new high on Friday of 1,191 patients.

The Alberta government says it will create new pandemic response units in Edmonton and Calgary for an expected hospitalization peak later this month.