Alberta has 32,711 active cases of COVID-19.
The province added 2,086 lab-confirmed cases Friday based on 6,226 PCR tests for a positivity rate of about 33 per cent.
Alberta has 1,584 people in hospital infected with COVID-19, including 118 in the ICU. There were 26 new deaths due to implications of the virus reported Friday, bringing the death toll to 3,634. Four of the new deaths were in Central zone.
Chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw continued to urge Albertans to get fully vaccinated against the virus Friday. She said a previous COVID-19 infection may provide some protection against the Omicron variant of COVID-19, but it’s not clear how long that protection will last, she said on Twitter. Of Alberta’s active COVID-19 cases, 26 per cent are fully vaccinated individuals with three doses and 19.68 per cent are unvaccinated. About 39.4 per cent of Albertans 12 and over have three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, with 86 per cent having two doses and 89.9 per cent with one dose.
“Recovery from COVID provides some protection but we don’t know how strong that protection is or how long it lasts. The level of protection varies in each person depending on severity of prior infection, time elapsed after recovery, age and having other medical conditions,” she tweeted.
“The evidence is clear that those who have previously been infected, and who also have received vaccine have a significantly stronger level of protection than recovery from infection alone.
“Getting fully vaccinated with all the doses we are eligible for is still the best way to make sure that we and those around us are protected against severe illness and outcomes such as hospitalization due to COVID-19.”
Central zone had 3,602 active cases Friday, with 154 people in hospital, including four in the ICU. To date, 448 people have died in the local zone due to the implications of the virus.
Red Deer is down from 923 to 917 active cases of the virus Friday. The city has had 12,703 total cases, with 11,699 recovered and 87 deaths due to the implications of COVID-19.
According to geospatial mapping on the provincial government’s website, Red Deer County had 247 active cases Friday, Lacombe County had 132, the City of Lacombe had 125, Mountain View County had 108, Clearwater County had 102, Sylvan Lake had 100, Stettler County had 91 active cases and Olds had 70.
The City of Camrose had 138, Kneehill County had 97, Camrose County had 38 and Drumheller had 81.
On the local geographic area setting, Wetaskiwin County, including Maskwacis, had 597 active cases, while Ponoka, including East Ponoka County, had 161 and Rimbey, including West Ponoka County and part of Lacombe County, had 38.
