Alberta reports 1,339 new COVID-19 cases as province hits vaccine milestone

Alberta health officials reported 1,339 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, as the province surpassed a vaccine milestone.

Including the new cases, there are currently 12,868 active COVID-19 infections in Alberta. That’s an increase of 578 from Wednesday.

The province also identified 1,255 new variant cases, bringing the number of active variant cases to 10,449.

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Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 continue to rise in Alberta as well, with 487 people now in hospital with the virus.

This is an increase of 22 from Wednesday’s count of 465, and includes 114 individuals in intensive care.

Alberta also hit a vaccine milestone on Thursday, with 70% of eligible Albertans receiving both of their doses of vaccine.

In addition to the Albertans who are fully vaccinated, 78.2% of eligible Albertans have received at least one dose.

“Data shows us that the majority of COVID-19 cases in our hospitals and ICUs are unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated,” said Dr. Deena Hinshaw, chief medical officer of health, in a news release. “Second doses are a critical step in getting the best protection available to you. I continue to encourage Albertans to get their full series of vaccine.”

As of September 1, there have been 5,574,762 doses of COVID-19 vaccine administered in the province.