Alberta reports 206 new cases of COVID-19, no new deaths
Alberta reported 206 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday, as the province's Canada-leading active case number continues to grow.
The new cases were detected through 5,429 tests, with a test-positivity rate of 3.83 per cent.
There are now 2,282 active cases — an increase of 106 from the previous day — with more than half located in the Calgary health zone. Just two weeks prior (July 20) there were 634 active cases, according to Alberta Health.
Here's how active cases break down regionally:
Calgary zone: 1,292
Edmonton zone: 416
South zone: 230
North zone: 202
Central zone: 139
Unknown: 3
Hospitalizations from COVID-19 rose by seven from the previous day. There are now 97 people being treated in hospital for COVID-19, including 23 in intensive care beds.
No new deaths from COVID-19 were reported Wednesday, leaving the provincial total unchanged at 2,328.
The province reported an abnormally high number of cases of coronavirus variants of concern on Wednesday: 823.
"This is a net number from existing cases that occurred over the past few days and is by no means indicative of a one-day increase," wrote Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the province's chief medical officer of health, on Twitter.
"The variant results reported online will be dispersed among existing cases over the last few days. Additional laboratory methods are used to screen existing cases to determine their variant type, so it can take longer for some of these cases to be reported."
Hinshaw sent a column to media Wednesday apologizing for causing "confusion, fear or anger" after releasing the province's plan to lift the remaining COVID-19 public health measures.
Hinshaw said that lifting the testing and isolation requirements will allow the province to focus on other health issues in the province, stating that the benefits of vaccine protection have changed the risk of COVID-19.
"COVID-19 is a wicked problem; experts don't always agree on the exact nature of the problem, much less the best approach. But it is not the only wicked problem we are facing together," she wrote.
Across the province there were 11,174 doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered Tuesday. About 76.1 per cent of the eligible population has received at least one dose of vaccine, while 66 per cent have had two.
