By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

sunday update

Variants now make up more than half of active COVID-19 cases in Alberta

Apr 11, 2021 | 4:30 PM

More than 50 per cent of all active COVID-19 cases in Alberta are now variants of concern.

Alberta added 1,183 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday with a positivity rate of ~8.0 per cent and 14,861 tests completed. That positivity rate is about 1.0 per cent lower than yesterday. Of the day’s new cases, 942 were variants.

Overall active cases now total 14,293, up 606, and of those, 7,217 are variants of concern, up about three percentage points to 50.5 per cent. They have caused 36 deaths, the same total as yesterday.

Of active cases confirmed to be a variant, 3,340 are in Calgary Zone, 1,937 are in Edmonton Zone, 803 are in North Zone, 730 are in Central Zone and 365 are in South Zone.

There have been 10,770 confirmed variant cases to date, with 10,641 of the B.1.1.7 version, 27 of B.1.351 and 102 of P.1. Recoveries from variant cases total 3,517 since the first one was detected in this province in December.

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Meantime, one additional COVID-19-linked death was reported to Alberta Health in the last 24 hours to bring the province’s total to 2,013. It occurred on April 10 and involved a female in her 70s from Edmonton Zone

There are now 376 Albertans in hospital due to COVID-19, up 27 from Saturday, including 90 in intensive care, up six.

Alberta has administered 847,630 doses of COVID-19 vaccine as of April 9, while 163,532 Albertans are fully immunized.

Red Deer added 24 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, and now sits at 243 active cases, up 17 from Saturday.

There have also now been 3,063 recoveries, an increase of seven.

The city has recorded a total of 3,340 cases and 34 deaths since the pandemic began. There hasn’t been a death added to the city’s total since March 23.

Yesterday, Alberta Health confirmed an outbreak of 22 cases at the Safe Harbour-operated temporary shelter in Red Deer, all of which are active.

Active cases across Central Zone

Red Deer County: 65 (+7)

Sylvan Lake: 33 (+2)

Lacombe County: 62 (+4)

City of Lacombe: 52 (+4)

Ponoka County: 198 (+3)

Clearwater County: 11 (+2)

Brazeau County: 26 (-1)

Mountain View County: 50 (+8)

Olds: 45 (+5)

Kneehill County: 21 (-1)

County of Stettler: 8 (–)

The Central Zone has 1,222 active cases as of Sunday, an increase of 98. There are 39 hospitalizations, up nine, and seven people are receiving intensive care for COVID-19 at Red Deer Regional Hospital, down one. The zone has had 123 deaths as a result of COVID-19, none of which were reported today.

Central Zone school cases announced since last Sunday
*alert = 1-4 cases, outbreak = 5-9 cases, outbreak tier 2 = 10+ cases

Delburne – Delburne Centralized School – 2 new cases, more than 60 students in grades 7-9, and majority of 7-12 teachers now isolating – learning moving online from April 12-16, K-6 to operate as normal (Outbreak not currently declared by Alberta Health)

Penhold – Penhold Crossing Secondary – 1 case

Ponoka – Ponoka Elementary – 1 to 4 active cases (OUTBREAK)

Eckville – Eckville Jr/Sr High – 1 to 4 active cases (Outbreak not currently declared by Alberta Health)

Lacombe – Terrace Ridge School – 1 case

Sylvan Lake – Ecole Fox Run School – 1 case

Blackfalds – St. Gregory the Great Catholic School (ALERT)

Red Deer – St. Francis of Assisi Middle School (ALERT)

Drayton Valley – Frank Maddock School (ALERT)

Wetaskiwin – Wetaskiwin Composite High (OUTBREAK)

Devon – John Maland High School – 2 cases

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Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, will give her next update Monday.

Note: As only preliminary COVID-19 data was offered the weekend of April 2-4, rdnewsNOW will update seven-day change figures again next Saturday.