Fewer tests cited in rapid decline of new cases of COVID-19
Alberta reported an estimated 500 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, the province's lowest daily value since late October. However, the drop in detected infections is the result of fewer Albertans getting tested over Christmas, according to the province's top doctor.
“Please note: fewer people were tested Dec. 25 so fewer tests were processed and reported on Dec. 26,” Alberta chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said on Twitter on Sunday.
The estimated 500 new cases came from about 6,900 tests, representing about a 7.2 per cent positivity rate — the highest reported in Alberta in more than a week.
For a fourth-consecutive day, Alberta provided only “estimated” figures for case numbers and testing rates via social media.
Hinshaw said admission rates of COVID-19 patients in hospitals and ICUS is “stable,” but it's unclear exactly how many Albertans with the virus are receiving treatment in acute-care settings. Both hospitalizations and ICU admissions saw a “small increase” each of the two previous days.
Alberta did not report Sunday on additional deaths from COVID-19 in the province.
Alberta has not reported data on COVID-19 fatalities since Wednesday, when the province announced 19 additional deaths. To date, at least 890 Albertans have died from the novel coronavirus, including at least 310 in December alone.
Sunday's update followed a milestone reached on Christmas Day, when the province recorded fewer than 1,000 new cases of COVID-19 for the first time in more than a month.
On Saturday, Alberta reported an estimated 900 positive cases out of approximately 14,200 tests, a positivity rate of 6.3 per cent — a rate that was also the lowest since mid-november.
Alberta had last recorded fewer than 1,000 infections in a day on Nov. 17, when there were 730 new cases.
The most recent public health measures imposed by Alberta officials have now been in place for two weeks or more. Orders mandated mask use in indoor
public spaces provincewide, and all indoor and outdoor social gatherings were banned Dec. 8, while closures of some businesses and
restrictions on retail capacity began Dec. 13.
Hinshaw has said it typically takes about two weeks for public-health measures to reflect in daily case data, as the incubation period for COVID-19 is about 14 days.
Also Saturday, about 200 protesters came out to city hall to take part in a weekly rally against mandatory masking and other public health measures.
They were met by a heavy presence of Calgary police and city peace officers, as law enforcement officials were seen handing out tickets to those in attendance.
On Wednesday, when the provincial figures were last updated, Alberta had 17,821 active cases of the coronavirus, including 6,470 in the Alberta Health Services Calgary zone.
There were 821 Albertans in hospital with COVID-19 as of Wednesday, 146 of whom were in ICUS.
A full update on the coronavirus in Alberta, including a news conference from Hinshaw, will take place Monday.