Edmonton surpasses Calgary in active cases

Thirty-one new cases of COVID -19 were identified in Alberta Sunday as Edmonton surpassed Calgary for the highest number of active cases.

The capital region currently has 238 of the province’s 534 active cases. By comparison, the Calgary zone has 235. Those numbers mark the first time the Edmonton zone has had the highest number of cases.

Of the 31 new cases reported Sunday, 23 are in the Edmonton zone, six in Calgary and two in the north zone.

Alberta has confirmed a total of 7,704 total cases of COVID -19.

Calgary has outpaced the rest of the province in terms of case numbers since the first days as it grappled with outbreaks in the community as well as a large number of travellers flying in from around the world.

The large difference in case numbers is highlighted by Calgary’s recovery numbers, currently standing at 4,840 compared to Edmonton’s 594.

A total of 111 people have died from COVID-19 in Calgary while 14 have died in Edmonton.

However the capital has seen an significant increase in numbers throughout June; it started the month with 44 active cases.

Alberta’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw has said a large number of cases in the area have been linked back to community gatherings.

“We are working very closely to contain that spread with a variety of groups. I want to again emphasize that it is so critical that if someone is symptomatic, if they are feeling ill, that they stay home that they stay away from others and get tested,” said Hinshaw.

Northern Alberta currently has 34 active cases while central Alberta remains the least hit area of the province with three active cases.

Southern Alberta has 20 cases and a total of four cases do not have a known location.