332 new COVID-19 cases in Alberta, 117 people hospitalized

EDMONTON (660 NEWS) —  Alberta has confirmed 332 new cases of COVID-19 after conducting over 14,000 new tests.

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NEW

– 332 COVID cases in AB on 14155 tests (2.35% +)
– now new deaths, 288 total
– 117 in hospital (+16), 11 in ICU (-5)
– 2836 active cases (+98)#yeg #yyc #ableg #covid19ab pic.twitter.com/X5PsnkZ9vV

— Courtney Theriault (@cspotweet) October 16, 2020

There are now 2,836 active cases in Alberta.

Of those cases, 117 are in hospital and 11 are in ICU.

“The recent outbreaks we have seen in hospitals are one of the reasons for the high hospitalization numbers that we are now seeing,” Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, said during Friday’s COVID-19 update.

“As our community transmission goes up, so too does the risk of introducing the virus into our acute care and continue care facilities where our most vulnerable community members are.”

Calgary is now under COVID-19 watch with 686 active cases, which is 50.9 per 100,000 people.

“We have recently seen several outbreaks in that city linked to social gatherings,” Hinshaw said.

“This is yet another reminder that no region is immune from this virus and that one case can quickly lead to many if restrictions are not followed.”

So far, no additional measures are being implemented in Calgary similar to the voluntary measures introduced in Edmonton last week.

Hinshaw continues to be concerned with the rising number of cases in the capital, accounting for 54 per cent of active cases in the province.

“It takes about two weeks between actions and outcomes. So, we would anticipate seeing improvements in the next week or so, if the voluntary measures we put in place for Edmonton last week are having an impact,” Hinshaw said.

A total of 288 Albertans have died as a result of the virus, although no new deaths were reported in the last 24 hours.

There have been 18,651 Albertans who have recovered from the virus.