Eleven additional COVID-19 deaths, cases rise by 730 in Alberta

EDMONTON (660 NEWS) – Eleven more Albertans have died from COVID-19 related complications.

Three of those are in the Calgary zone, six in the Edmonton zone, and one in the central zone.

Almost one-quarter of COVID-19 deaths have happened since Nov. 1.

“If we do not change our trajectory, the implications are grim,” Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, said during Wednesday’s provincial update.

“The daily COVID-19 death count is a tragic reminder that COVID-19 is not just a flu. It is life and death.”

The latest deaths bring the province’s total to 443.

WATCH: Chief Medical Officer of Health provide daily COVID-19 update

The province confirmed 730 new cases of the virus after completing around 13,000 tests in the past 24 hours. The provincial positivity rate sits at 5.5 per cent.

There is a total of 10,057 active cases province-wide.

The Calgary zone has 4,201 active cases, while the Edmonton zone has 4,157.

Two hundred and eighty-seven people are presently in the hospital, with 57 in the ICU.

“I continue to be concerned about these numbers as the human cost of COVID is rising rapidly,” Hinshaw said.

As cases continue to rise provincially there is a corresponding rise in COVID-related hospitalizations, ICU admission and an increase in the number of frontline health care workers who are off work because of a potential exposure and the need to self isolate, Hinshaw added.

“AHS is able to increase the amount of hospital spaces available to patients with COVID if they reduce the number of other patients in hospital,” she said.

“This means reducing the amount of scheduled or elective surgeries and other procedures that might require overnight stays in hospital and reducing the number of ambulatory clinic visits.”

“AHS is also increasing ICU capacity across the province. AHS has the ability to create temporary ICU space in spaces that would otherwise be used to care for patients who have other conditions requiring special care.”

Hinshaw ensured AHS is working hard to meet demands but warned of the consequence of these measures saying it will result in delayed access to non-COVID care.

“We need Albertans to do their part. By working together to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the community, we can reduce the need for hospitalization and demands on our hospitals and emergency departments.”

As of Wednesday, 31,192 Albertans have recovered from COVID-19.

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