Alberta confirms 678 new cases of COVID-19, 16 additional deaths

EDMONTON (660 NEWS) – In her latest update of Alberta’s battle against COVID-19, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw says they have found 678 new cases of COVID-19 and 16 additional deaths.

There were 14,060 tests completed, putting Alberta’s positivity rate at around 4.8 per cent.

Of the 16 new deaths, 11 were from the Edmonton Zone, four were from the Calgary Zone, and one was from the Central Zone.

Hinshaw says over 96,500 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to venerable health care employees and senior citizens.

There are still 10,256 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.

Latest COVID-19 numbers for Alberta:

– 678 new cases
– 16 new deaths (total 1,500)
– 14,00 tests completed (PR: 4.8 per cent)

— Jeff Slack (@Jeffslack660) January 21, 2021

There are currently 178 schools in the province with active COVID-19 alerts, with outbreaks in four and 282 total cases.

Of those, 23 schools have reported in-school transmissions, with 20 only resulting in one new case.

“Interestingly, when we look at daily new cases in school-age populations, this week we are seeing an average of 80 new cases a day, significantly lower than the average of 150 new cases a day of this same population a week before school started,” said Hinshaw.

She says the falling numbers show the restrictions in place are working, but there is still more to be done.

“Every death leaves a hole in the lives of those who loved them and current restrictions make it harder to support each other the way we are used to.”

“We are protecting one another by reducing in-person interactions, which in turn is reducing the number of people who get sick, test positive, and ultimately require hospital care.”

However, despite the improving numbers, Hinshaw says no changes will be made to the additional COVID-19 restrictions currently in place.

“I know the current restrictions are very difficult for many Albertans, including business owners.”

“I am proud of the sacrifices and community spirit that Albertans have shown to produce these encouraging numbers.”

But, she says we are not in the clear just yet.

“We are not in the clear just yet,” Hinshaw said. No additional measures are being eased at this time.

— Jeff Slack (@Jeffslack660) January 21, 2021

“Our cases are falling, but we still have the second-highest active case rate per capita in Canada.”