Alberta reports highest daily COVID-19 case count since late May
501 new cases reported Wednesday; most active cases identified as variants of concern
Alberta public health officials reported 501 net new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday — the highest daily increase since May 27.
The number of known active cases is now up to 3,769, an increase of 306 since the last update.
Here's how active cases break down across the province:
- Calgary zone: 1,651
- Edmonton zone: 837
- South zone: 527
- North zone: 500
- Central zone: 246
- Unknown: 8
Meanwhile, 311 more cases of coronavirus variants of concern have been identified in Alberta. The total of known active variant cases is up to 3,046 — or about 81 per cent of all known active COVID-19 cases in Alberta.
Since early July, the highly-infectious delta variant has made up most cases of variants of concern detected in the province.
Public health officials report one more Albertan died from COVID-19 last spring, after confirming COVID-19 as a cause post-mortem, an Alberta government spokesperson said. That individual, a man in his 50s living in the Calgary zone, died April 11.
A total of 2,331 Albertans have now died due to the illness.
Five more people were admitted to hospital to be treated for COVID-19 since the previous update. There are now 138 hospitalizations, including 31 patients in intensive care units.
Those in hospital are mostly unvaccinated: 72 per cent of people not receiving critical care are unvaccinated, while 13.9 per cent are only partially vaccinated, according to Alberta chief medical officer of health Deena Hinshaw.
Meanwhile, 90.3 per cent of ICU patients are unvaccinated and 3.2 per cent only partially vaccinated, Hinshaw said on Twitter.
There are currently 138 people in hospital due to COVID-19. Of the 107 non-ICU, 72% are unvaccinated & 13.9% partially vaccinated. Of the 31 in ICU, 90.3% are unvaccinated & 3.2% partially vaccinated. (2/4)
—@CMOH_AlbertaThe remaining patients have received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine, a government spokesperson confirmed.
Another 8,613 COVID-19 tests were conducted Tuesday. The province's test-positivity rate is 5.93 per cent.
Meanwhile, 7,295 doses of vaccine were administered Tuesday.
About 76 per cent of Albertans aged 12 and up have received at least one dose of a vaccine; 67.2 per cent have received two doses.