By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

sunday update

19 more coronavirus deaths pushes Alberta past 600

Dec 6, 2020 | 4:11 PM

Alberta climbed well past 600 deaths from COVID-19 on Sunday with 19 new fatalities.

The total now is 615 deaths, as the province added 1,836 new cases on Sunday, the third largest one-day total. The record is 1,879 set on Saturday, Dec. 5.

Alberta also recorded 1,139 new recoveries, with active cases settling at 19,484, an increase of 678 in the last day.

There are 601 people in hospital, up 38, and 100 people in ICU, down one.

23,435 tests were completed in the last day, for a one-day positivity rate of 7.8 per cent.

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Today’s case total is also the fourth straight with over 1,800+ provincially; Dec. 3 (1,854), Dec. 4 (1,828), and Dec. 5 (1,879-record).

The 19 new deaths are the second-highest one-day total since there were 20 on Nov. 16.

In Red Deer, the situation also worsened with 37 new cases taking the nine-month total to 752. With six new recoveries for 417 total, there are now 335 active cases in the city.

In Central Zone, there have now been 3,561 cases, an increase of 115. Recoveries increased by 63 and there are now 1,391 active cases in the zone, up 51.

There are 46 people in the zone who are hospitalized, up two, and five are in ICU, the same as yesterday. The zone has also had 19 deaths, up one from Saturday; a female in her 70s passed earlier this week, but the provincial system only updated the count this weekend.

Active cases elsewhere in Central Zone

Red Deer County: 81 active (+7)

Sylvan Lake: 64 (-2)

Innisfail: 32 (+7)

Lacombe: 48 (+5)

Lacombe County: 57 (+1)

Ponoka County: 187 (+14)

Rocky Mountain House: 56 (+8)

County of Stettler: 19

Drayton Valley: 67 active

Thorsby: 16 active

Rimbey: 30 active

Maskwacis: 237 (2 deaths)

Camrose & County: 108 (6 deaths)

Cases in schools

rdnewsNOW has learned of new cases over the last 24 hours at C.P. Blakely Elementary School in Sylvan Lake; there is one case there reported Dec. 5.

There has also been one case confirmed in an individual from Ecole Camille J. Lerouge School in Red Deer, reported to parents on Dec. 2.

Normandeau School also reported two new cases on Sunday taking that school’s total to 10. It is currently under outbreak status.

A number of other cases were listed in Saturday’s update.

More information on COVID-19 in Alberta is at alberta.ca/covid19.