Alberta surpasses 3,000 deaths from COVID-19

Alberta reached another grim milestone in the COVID-19 pandemic Wednesday as the province surpassed more than 3,000 COVID-related deaths.

The province reported 786 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday and 18 new deaths, bringing the total number of Albertans to have died of COVID-19 to 3,006.

That is the third highest total of any province, behind only Ontario, at 9,823 deaths as of Wednesday, and Quebec, with 11,455.

More than 28,600 Canadians have died of COVID-19 during the pandemic.

In Alberta, those who have had COVID-19 as a contributing cause of death have ranged in age from 18 to 107. 

The deaths announced Wednesday occurred in all parts of the province and ranged in age from people in their 30s to their 90s.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical officer of health, said on Twitter that about 72 per cent of the 18 new deaths were in people who were unvaccinated.

The 786 new cases were detected through 12,114 tests with a positivity rate around 6.7 per cent — lower than the seven-day average of 7.28 per cent.

Active cases of COVID-19 dropped to 10,824 across the province. Here's how active cases break down regionally:

• Calgary zone: 2,773
• Edmonton zone: 2,603
• North zone: 2,289
• Central zone: 2,011
• South zone: 1,136
• Unknown: 12

Hospitalizations for COVID-19 declined Wednesday but remain high. There are currently 928 people in hospital with COVID-19, including 203 in intensive care units. Of the 203 patients in ICU, 90.1 per cent are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated.

As of the province's latest update, about 86.2 per cent of the province's eligible population have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 77.9 have had both.

About 66.2 per cent of the province's entire population have had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.