1,549 new cases of COVID-19 detected in Alberta on Sunday

Alberta saw a record-breaking number of new COVID-19 detections over the past weekend.

Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw announced at a press conference on Monday that there had been 1,549 new cases of coronavirus detected on Sunday, November 22, which would have marked the highest single-day increase that the province had seen if it weren’t for this past Saturday.

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According to updated numbers from the Province of Alberta, this Saturday, November 21, saw a total of 1,570 confirmed cases of COVID-19 over the course of 24 hours.

The combined total for the weekend was 3,119, which is more cases than was seen in the first three weeks of April combined, when public health measures were at their strictest following the initial outbreak.

Hinshaw also noted that the provincial positivity rate is now at 8% for tests conducted, and that active outbreak alerts are in place at 304 of the province’s schools, accounting for roughly 13%.

A total of 328 patients are in hospital with the virus, 62 of which are in the ICU.

Five new deaths on Sunday brought the total fatality count for Alberta to 476.

Hinshaw asked Albertans to step up to stop the spread.

“I need your help, and we all need to work together. The spread of the virus, the impact on our health system, and the challenges it poses to our health are serious,” she said.

“We all need to reduce our social and cohort interactions as much as possible. If you can adapt your life to reduce the amount of time you spend interacting with others, please do so now. This is a challenging moment, but our province is strong and there is hope. We are seeing extremely promising news around vaccines and treatments, which may start being available sometime in the new year. There is light at the end of the tunnel, but we cannot let up now. Every one of us must do our part to limit the spread of COVID-19. We are in this together, and we are strongest together.”

Hinshaw also noted that she would be recommending new, stricter public health measures to the Province of Alberta later this afternoon, with details being announced on Tuesday.