Alberta's coronavirus recoveries slightly outpace new cases

Alberta’s number of active coronaviruses decreased slightly on Tuesday compared to Monday, even as health officials identified 77 new known cases.

The 77 newly discovered cases were in line with new daily case numbers seen over the weekend. There were 83 new cases Friday, 106 new cases Saturday, and 69 new cases Sunday.

Alberta’s active case count stood at 1,134 on Tuesday — 38 fewer than Monday’s 1,172. That means there were slightly more recoveries in the last 24 hours compared to new infections.

The Edmonton zone continues to have the highest number of active infections with 608. Calgary follows with 340 active infections.

One more person died of coronavirus in Alberta in the last day, bringing the province’s death toll to 235.

See also:

Alberta’s Chief Officer of Medical Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said at a Monday news conference that many of the new cases linked to social gatherings. Although socializing is imperative for mental health, Hinshaw implored Albertans to meet friends and family carefully.

“When we let our guard down, the virus has its opportunity,” she said.

She advised to meet friends and family outdoors, avoid sharing food, and wash hands often. She also asked people to keep a contact list for every family gathering they host, even if it might seem silly to write down relatives’ phone numbers.

She also asked families whose children are heading back to school to be vigilant about how close those children are to their grandparents. Although children often display mild symptoms when they catch coronavirus, they can still pass it on to older relatives who are more at risk for severe outcomes.

“While this is a sacrifice and it may be hard, it is the right thing to have these conversations as we move to the next phase of reopening,” she said.