By Chris Brown

Transition to reopening a new kind of ch

Alberta sees lowest active and new daily COVID-19 case count since fall

Jun 22, 2021 | 4:01 PM

Alberta’s number of active COVID-19 cases has dipped below 2,000 and is at its lowest since early October.

The number of daily new cases has also dropped again, its lowest number since the fall.

“Our numbers are declining quickly which is a testament to the power of vaccines and the way Albertans are all helping protect each other,” said chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said at her Tuesday COVID-19 update.

There are 1,773 active cases in the province and 57 new cases today.

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Hinshaw said that Albertans will soon be able to enter a new phase in the pandemic and said anxiety and uncertainty is natural during the transition into a new kind of challenge.

“Learning to live with COVID as restrictions ease and life starts to feel closer to the one we knew before COVID-19 arrived,” she said.

She said there were firm rules over the past 15 months to slow the spread and protect the health-care system.

“Now as most restrictions will soon be easing, we need to learn how to live with this virus, without these rules. This means entering a time with less mandatory barriers on what we can do while still being thoughtful about how we manage risk,” Hinshaw said.

She said we’re up to the challenge and it will be critical to support each other in managing risks in ways that make sense for different contexts and risk factors.

Avoiding crowds indoors and masking will continue to be valid choices for those with risk factors for severe outcomes or who haven’t been fully immunized.

She added it also means moving at the pace that’s right for you.

“If you’re not ready to do something or want to take extra precautions that’s perfectly OK,” Hinshaw said.

She also encouraged everyone to approach others with compassion, saying it will make a critical difference in the weeks to come.

There are 20 active cases of COVID-19 in Medicine Hat on Tuesday.

Medicine Hat now has had 1,261 total cases – the 20 active, 1,219 recovered and there have been 22 deaths.

There is one new case in the city today and two new recoveries.

57.5 per cent of Hatters have received at least one dose of vaccine at the latest update.

There are 1,773 active cases, down 230 from Monday, and 227,413 recovered cases, up 289.

Alberta’s total cases from the start of the pandemic is 231,476.

There are 57 new cases in the province today, and 38 more variant of concern cases were identified today.

There are now 200 Albertans in hospital with COVID-19, 54 of which are in ICU, and 2,293 deaths.

The province completed 5,019 tests in the past 24 hours.

The positivity rate is about 1.4 per cent.

Alberta has administered 3,854,208 doses of vaccine at the latest update.

On second doses of vaccine, Hinshaw said Pfizer and Moderna can be used interchangeably, and it is OK to get one dose of each. She said taking the first vaccine that is available to you is the best way to protect your health and the health of those around you.

With cases falling quickly and vaccine uptake rising the province is making some changes to reporting.

There will no longer be weekend updates, but detailed data will continue to be posted on weekdays. R-Value reports will also change to two-week intervals from the current one-week.

As well, next Tuesday will be the last regularly scheduled availability for Hinshaw. She said live updates will be provided when needed.

There are 72 active cases and 12,273 recovered in the South Zone. The death total in the zone is at 133.

An AHS spokesperson told CHAT News on Monday AHS South Zone currently has 10 COVID-19 positive individuals in hospital. There are eight at Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge. Medicine Hat Regional Hospital has two inpatients, with one of those in the ICU.

The province-wide reproductive value from last week is 0.75. It is 0.86 in Calgary Zone, 0.57 in Edmonton Zone and 0.70 in the rest of Alberta. These figures are updated each Monday.

St. Francis Xavier School and George Davison School are on AHS Outbreak status.

Regionally, St. Joseph’s Collegiate in Brooks is on Alert status.

Schools remain on Outbreak and Alert status until there is no new confirmed case for 28 days.

Cypress County has totaled 301 cases – six active cases, 294 recovered and one death. The latest vaccination rate for all ages is 47.9 per cent.

The County of Forty Mile has 157 total cases. There are no active cases, 154 recovered and there have been three deaths. The latest vaccination rate for all ages is 28.2 per cent.

The MD of Taber has 571 total cases — no active cases, 565 recovered and there have been six deaths. The latest vaccination rate for all ages is 34.6 per cent.

Special Areas No. 2 has 103 total cases – one active case, 101 recovered and there has been one death.

Brooks has 1,502 total cases — five active cases and 1,482 are recovered. Brooks has recorded 15 deaths.

The County of Newell has a total of 241 cases — one active case, 238 recovered and there have been two deaths. The latest vaccination rate for all ages is 46.3 per cent, including Brooks.

The County of Warner has 470 total cases. There are five active cases, 462 are recovered cases and there have been three deaths in the county. The latest vaccination rate for all ages is 43.3 per cent.

The City of Lethbridge has a total of 4,834 cases. There are 10 active cases, 4,785 recovered and there have been 38 deaths. Lethbridge County has 1,259 cases, six active cases, 1,241 recovered and there have been 12 deaths.

Not all the areas on the vaccination data map match the case count map.

The figures on alberta.ca are “up-to-date as of end of day June 21, 2021.”

Read the full June 22 update from the province here.

Saskatchewan has a total of 48,505 cases, 639 considered active. There are 47,301 recovered cases and there have been 565 COVID-19 deaths in the province.

Saskatchewan has delivered 1,005,275 doses of vaccine.