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( Province of Alberta)

Province reports 1,731 new cases Sunday

May 2, 2021 | 4:25 PM

EDMONTON, AB- There are 1,731 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed across the province Sunday. Of the total number of new cases 1,132 have been identified as variants of concern. Albert’s total active case count is 22,920. The variants now comprise of 62 per cent of the total active case count, according to the province.

Over the past 24 hours 16.567 tests have been completed. The provincial positivity rate is 10.3 per cent, the province said.

In Medicine Hat, there are 212 active cases in the city. A total of 705 people have recovered from the virus which is an increase of seven since yesterday’s update. The city has recorded 18 deaths.

The city’s director of emergency management told CHAT News Friday, that the city’s threshold for additional restrictions is 250 active cases.

On Thursday, the province announced targeted measures for COVID-19 hotspots such as Calgary, Lethbridge, Edmonton, Grande Prairie, and the County of Strathcona. Restrictions are in place for communities where there are at least 350 cases per 100,000 people and 250 active cases. The province said the restrictions are in place for a minimum of two weeks or until the region falls below the case threshold, whichever is longer.

In Cypress County there are 38 active cases, and 191 recoveries.

The County of Newell has seven active cases, 171 recoveries and two recorded deaths.

The city of Brooks has 43 active cases , 1,357 recoveries and 14 recorded deaths.

The Municipal District of Taber has 43 active cases, 455 recoveries and five recorded deaths.

The County of Forty Mile has 13 active cases , 133 recoveries and three recorded deaths.

Lethbridge County has 159 active cases, 839 recoveries and 12 deaths.

The City of Lethbridge has 430 active cases, 3808 recoveries and 36 deaths.

There are 648 people in hospital province-wide including 155 in intensive care.

The province also recorded three new deaths.

This afternoon Dr. Deena Hinshaw announced changes to their lab testing strategy. Lab tests have shifted to a targeted representative screening approach for variants of concern on positive COVID-19 samples.

Variant screenings of high-risk populations including travelers, outbreak cases, and healthcare workers will still occur, according to Hinshaw.