Alberta reports 595 new COVID-19 cases as hospitalizations drop below 1,300
Health officials reported 595 new cases of COVID-19 in Alberta today as hospitalizations continue to decline across the province.
Including the new infections, the number of active cases in Alberta now sits at 10,112, a decrease of 514 since Thursday.
There are 1,295 people in Alberta hospitals with the disease, which is a decrease of 62 from the previous day. This includes 88 who are in intensive care, four fewer than Thursday’s count.
Of those in hospital with the virus, 28.73% have had three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, 35.91% have had two doses, and 4.94% have had one dose. Unvaccinated individuals make up 30.42% of virus-related hospitalizations.
As of February 24, there has been a total of 8,486,394 doses of vaccine administered in the province. Of Alberta’s eligible population over the age of 12, 90.1% have had at least one dose of vaccine, while 86.5% are fully vaccinated.
There have been 282,193 doses of pediatric vaccine given to children aged five to 11 in Alberta.
Including today’s new cases, a total of 524,381 COVID-19 infections have been confirmed in Alberta, and 510,371 have since recovered.
The province reported 15 additional deaths caused by the virus on Friday, raising Alberta’s COVID-19 death toll to 3,898.
As case counts continue to drop, Alberta is expected to announce the removal of almost all COVID-19 restrictions this weekend.
Premier Jason Kenney Kenney tweeted earlier this week that the provincial government will announce a final decision on proceeding to phase two of the reopening plan on Saturday, February 26.
On March 1, the government is set to lift almost all remaining restrictions in the province, including limits on social gatherings, capacity limits for all large venues and entertainment venues, and no longer requiring indoor masking.
Earlier this month, the province decommissioned the Restrictions Exemption Program, which was its version of a COVID-19 vaccine passport system.
No timeline has been set for phase three of Alberta’s “return to normal” plan; however, this step would see the removal of COVID-specific continuing care measures and mandatory isolation being reduced to a recommendation.
With files from Laine Mitchell
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