Province once again breaks single-day case record
Kenney says any new restrictions would be `limited, discrete, targeted and focused'
Alberta set records for its highest daily COVID-19 case count for the third day in a row, and for the number of active cases for the fifth straight day, with no new public health restrictions expected.
On Friday, the province reported 432 new cases of COVID-19 while active cases climbed to 3,651, marking the highest each count has been since the start of the pandemic.
Premier Jason Kenney expressed concern about the growing number of active COVID-19 cases and asked Albertans to “take this really seriously” during a news conference on Thursday, which he attended virtually while self-isolating after being identified as a close contact of Municipal Affairs Minister Tracy Allard. Kenney tested negative late Wednesday, hours after Allard received her positive result.
There were 191 new cases reported on Friday in the Edmonton Zone, which includes the City of Edmonton and surrounding municipalities.
Currently, the region has 1,751 active cases, while the City of Edmonton has 1,453 or 142.2 per 100,000 people.
Alberta hospitals are treating 112 people, with 14 of those in the intensive care unit. Four new deaths were reported, bringing the provincial total to 300.
The deaths are a man in his 40s from the Calgary Zone, a man in his 80s, not in continuing care, from the Edmonton Zone, and two previously reported deaths by Covenant Health. These are a man in his 90s linked to the outbreak at the Edmonton General Continuing Care Centre and a woman in her 80s linked to the outbreak at the Misericordia Community Hospital.
No new cases of COVID-19 were reported at the Misericordia Hospital, which has 29 total cases, while the Edmonton General Continuing Care Centre recorded eight new cases. A total of 24 residents, one patient and six staff members at the care centre have tested positive for the virus.
Kenney has not completely ruled out further restrictions if the number of cases begins to jeopardize the health-care system.
“When it comes to any potential future restrictions, they will be limited, discrete, targeted and focused, and based on data, not indiscriminate policies that shut down and impair entire segments of our economy,” Kenney said Thursday.
On Friday, NDP Opposition Leader Rachel Notley said she was concerned about the province's rising case numbers, adding that there appears to be no government strategy to bring them down.
“This mindless mantra that it's all about individual responsibility, and that the government has no role, is an abdication of responsibility. Albertans need for this government to take strategic measures in order to keep this economy open,” said Notley.
On Thursday, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the province's chief medical officer of health, announced “surge capacity measures” for hospitals due to the growing number of COVID-19 cases in the Edmonton Zone.
About 30 per cent of non-urgent surgeries, or 600 surgeries a week, will be postponed, as well as some ambulatory care clinic visits.
Urgent, emergent and cancer surgeries will continue, and affected surgeries will be rescheduled as soon as possible.
In Edmonton Catholic Schools, St. Clement School declared an outbreak after two cases of
COVID-19 were identified on Thursday. In Edmonton Public Schools, Tipaskan School declared an outbreak and was added to the province's COVID-19 school watch list after three new cases were identified on Thursday, bringing the total to five.
In Canada, there have been 211,732 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 9,888 deaths across the country, the latest numbers from the Government of Canada show.