By Sheldon Spackman

Wednesday Update

Red Deer with 222 active COVID-19 cases

Aug 25, 2021 | 4:36 PM

The number of active COVID-19 cases in Red Deer rose by 13 on Wednesday for a total of 222.

Recoveries, meanwhile, number 5,837 – up nine from Tuesday. The total number of cases identified in the city since the start of the pandemic is now 6,102.

The number of deaths in Red Deer attributed to the virus, however, remains at 43, with the last one reported on July 6.

Active cases across Central Zone (one-day change)

Last Seen Oct. 16, 2024

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17h ago

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Red Deer County: 65 (+6)

Sylvan Lake: 50 (-1)

Lacombe County: 70 (+10)

Lacombe: 24 (+1)

Ponoka County: 49 (-)

Brazeau County: 41 (+2)

Clearwater County: 52 (+7)

Mountain View County: 64 (+14)

Olds: 47 (+8)

Kneehill County: 14 (-2)

County of Stettler: 27 (+2)

The Central Zone as a whole has 874 active cases as of Wednesday, up 80 from Tuesday. There are 26 hospitalizations, the same as Tuesday, with five people receiving intensive care at Red Deer Regional Hospital, also the same as Tuesday.

The Central Zone has had 176 deaths linked to COVID-19, again, the same as Tuesday.

PROVINCIAL NUMBERS

Across Alberta, another 1,076 new cases of COVID-19 were announced on Wednesday, bringing the total number of active cases across the province now to 8,496 – up 565 from Tuesday.

With 11,747 tests conducted over the past 24 hours, the test positivity rate is roughly 9.2 per cent.

Of the active cases, 6,925 are variants of concern, or 81.5 per cent of all active cases.

There are 284 Albertans currently in hospital with COVID-19, up 26 from Tuesday, with 59 of those patients in ICU, up two from Tuesday.

The province’s death toll is now listed as 2,356, up one over the past day.

“Today’s COVID-19 case numbers are alarming and must be a wakeup call for Jason Kenney and the entire UCP government,” said Alberta NDP Health Critic David Shepherd, in a press release Wednesday.

This is the highest number of cases we have seen in more than three months and all indicators are trending in the wrong direction. Another 26 Albertans were hospitalized in the last 24 hours alone.”

“There are double the number of Albertans fighting in hospital today than on July 1st when Jason Kenney declared the pandemic over and started celebrating what he called ‘Freedom Day’,” continued Shepherd.

Now, cases are rising and the entire health system is under pressure as UCP cabinet ministers hide from Albertans and the lights are off in the Premier’s Office. It is clear that the UCP has abandoned Albertans to a fourth wave, demonstrating once again that they cannot be trusted to put public health ahead of their own self-serving politics.”

There are currently 2,667 active cases of COVID-19 in the Edmonton zone, 2,572 in the Calgary zone, 1,328 in the North zone, 1,035 in the South zone, and 20 additional cases in unconfirmed locations.

VACCINATIONS

Alberta has now administered 5,511,274 doses of COVID-19 vaccine as of Aug. 24.

As a result, 77.5 per cent of Albertans aged 12+ now have at least one dose (65.9% total population), while 69.0 per cent of Albertans aged 12+ are now fully vaccinated (58.7% total population).

According to Dr. Deena Hinshaw, of the 225 non-ICU patients, 80 per cent are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated. Of the 59 in ICU, 98.3 per cent are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated.

“Unvaccinated Albertans continue to make up the vast majority of hospitalizations. Vaccine doses continue to be available provincewide. If you have not yet received your first and second dose of vaccine, book yours today,” said Hinshaw in a Tweet on Wednesday.