Provincial Press Release December 7, 2020 @ 4:30 published at 4:54pm
Cases of COVID-19 continue to rise in Alberta. All Albertans must continue to follow all public health measures to help bend the curve and protect the health-care system.
Latest updates
Over the last 24 hours, 1,735 new cases were identified.
There are 609 people in hospital due to COVID-19, including 108 in intensive care.
There are 20,067 active cases in the province.
To date, 49,603 Albertans have recovered from COVID-19.
There was an increase of 20,358 tests (2,391,604 total) for a total of 1,527,350 people tested.
The testing positivity rate is 8.5 per cent.
In the last 24 hours, there were 16 additional COVID-related deaths reported: one on Dec. 1, five on Dec. 3, five on Dec. 4, three on Dec. 5, and two on Dec. 6.
The total number of COVID-19 related deaths is now 631.
All zones across the province have cases:
Calgary Zone: 7,472 active cases and 20,678 recovered
South Zone: 654 active cases and 3,547 recovered
Edmonton Zone: 9,190 active cases and 19,621 recovered
North Zone: 1,147 active cases and 3,394 recovered
Central Zone: 1,473 active cases and 2,213 recovered
131 active cases and 150 recovered cases in zones to be confirmed
Additional information, including case totals, is online
Currently, 414 schools, about 18 per cent, are on alert or have outbreaks, with 1,644 cases in total.
Of those, 177 schools are on alert, with 282 total cases.
Outbreaks are declared in 237 schools, including 106 on watch, with a total of 1,362 cases.
So far, in-school transmission has likely occurred in 286 schools. Of these, 136 have had only one new case result.
Based on data available to date, 286 schools have been removed from the alert list.
An online map lists schools with two or more confirmed cases, updated every school day.
There are 867 active and 2,894 recovered cases at long-term care facilities and supportive/home living sites.
To date, 400 of the 631 reported deaths (63 per cent) have been in long-term care facilities or supportive/home living sites
Alberta is reporting case numbers and information daily, including on weekends and holidays.
Vaccine distribution
A task force has been appointed to prepare for the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.
Several vaccines are undergoing review and awaiting approval by Health Canada.
Immunization will proceed in phases, beginning in early 2021, once vaccines are received.
Phase 1 will include Albertans most at-risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19, as well as health-care workers and long-term care and supportive living staff.
Strong restrictions to slow the spread of COVID-19
Strong, targeted public health measures are in place across Alberta. These include mandatory provincewide measures and those targeted at regions under enhanced status.
These restrictions and increased enforcement are intended to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in communities, protect hospitals, keep schools, places of worship and businesses open as much as possible, and better protect vulnerable Albertans.
Though announced on Nov. 24, it will take several weeks to determine the full impact of these restrictions on the spread of COVID-19.
All existing guidance and legal orders remain in place in all areas.
Alberta Health, AHS and local municipalities continue to closely monitor the spread across the province.
Enforcement of public health measures
The government is granting certain Alberta peace officers and community peace officers temporary authority to enforce public health orders.
Expanding these authorities will increase the number of officers able to levy fines by about 700.
Not following mandatory restrictions could result in fines of $1,000 per ticketed offence and up to $100,000 through the courts.
Albertans downloading tracer app
All Albertans are encouraged to download the secure ABTraceTogether app, which is integrated with provincial contact tracing. The federal app is not a contact tracing app.
Secure contact tracing is an effective tool to stop the spread by notifying people who were exposed to a confirmed case so they can isolate and be tested.
Early issues have been fixed so the app can run in the background of all mobile devices.
As of Dec. 7, 282,038 Albertans were using the ABTraceTogether app, 66 per cent on iOS and 34 per cent on Android. On average, seven new users were registering every hour.
Secure contact tracing is a cornerstone of Alberta’s Relaunch Strategy.
Symptoms for children and adults
Adults over age 18 should stay home and get tested if they have any COVID-19 symptoms.
Children should refer to the daily screening checklist for instructions.
Influenza immunization
Everyone, especially seniors and those at risk, is encouraged to get immunized against influenza.
As of Nov. 29, 1,337,957 Albertans have received their flu shot.
By appointment, doctors’ offices and participating pharmacies will immunize ages five and up.
By appointment, public health clinics will immunize ages under five, their household members; people with no provincial health number; and where they are the only provider.
MyHealth Records quick access
Parents and guardians can access the COVID-19 test results for children under the age of 18 through MyHealth Records (MHR) as soon as they are ready.
As of Dec. 3, 463,442 Albertans have MHR accounts.
Access to justice
For the latest updates on court operations, please visit:
Traffic Court
Provincial Court
Court of Queen’s Bench
Court of Appeal
Alberta’s Recovery Plan
Alberta’s Recovery Plan will create jobs, economic diversification and a strong economic future.
Addiction and mental health supports
Confidential supports are available. The Mental Health Help Line at 1-877-303-2642 and the Addiction Help Line at 1-866-332-2322 operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Resources are also available online.
The Kids Help Phone is available 24-7 and offers professional counselling, information and referrals and volunteer-led, text-based support to young people by texting CONNECT to 686868.
Online resources provide advice on handling stressful situations and ways to talk with children.
Family violence prevention
A 24-hour Family Violence Information Line at 310-1818 provides anonymous help in more than 170 languages.
Alberta’s One Line for Sexual Violence is available at 1-866-403-8000, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
People fleeing family violence can call local police or the nearest RCMP detachment to apply for an Emergency Protection Order, or follow the steps in the Emergency Protection Orders Telephone Applications (COVID-19).
Information sheets and other resources on family violence prevention are at alberta.ca/COVID19.
Quick facts
Legally, all Albertans must physically distance and isolate when sick or with symptoms.
Good hygiene is your best protection: wash your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds, avoid touching your face, cough or sneeze into an elbow or sleeve, and dispose of tissues appropriately.
Please share acts of kindness during this difficult time at #AlbertaCares.
Alberta Connects Contact Centre (310-4455) is open Monday to Friday, 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Related information
COVID-19 info for Albertans
COVID-19 aggregate data
COVID-19 Outbreak data
Enhanced public health measures
Multimedia
Watch the news conference
Listen to the news conference
Media inquiries
Tom McMillan
780-422-4905
Assistant Director of Communications, Health