Alberta reports 96 new cases of COVID-19 Sunday; 70% of total cases now recovered

Editor’s note: The province had initially said there were currently 634 active cases and a total of 722 cases at continuing care centres in Alberta but later sent a correction saying there were actually 115 active cases and 519 recovered cases. This article has been amended to reflect that. 

Alberta confirmed 96 new cases of COVID-19 Sunday, bringing the provincial total to 6,253.

Another person in the province has died after contracting the virus, bringing Alberta’s death toll to 117.

The person who died was a man in his 70s in the South zone who was not connected to any continuing care centre or outbreak, Alberta Health said.

The total active cases in the province now sit at 1,747, meaning that 70 per cent of people who tested positive for the disease so far in Alberta have now recovered.

Here are the active and recovered COVID-19 numbers for each zone:

• 1,159 active cases and 3,003 recovered in Calgary zone
• 470 active cases and 673 recovered in South zone
• 65 active cases and 432 recovered in the Edmonton zone
• 31 active case and 181 recovered in the North zone
• 17 active cases and 81 recovered cases in the Central zone
• Five active cases and 19 recovered in zones yet-to-be-confirmed

The province said that one person who had previously been recorded as a death in the Calgary zone was a misreported case that had actually occurred in the North zone. That Calgary case has now been moved to the correct North zone in the official record, according to Alberta Health.

Here are the current deaths by zone:

• 82 in the Calgary zone
• 15 in the North zone
• 12 in the Edmonton zone
• seven in the South zone
• one in the Central zone

There are currently 115 active cases out of a total of 634 total confirmed cases at continuing care centres in Alberta, and 84 residents have died from COVID-19, the province said.

On Sunday, there were 71 people in hospital, 13 of whom were in intensive care.

Meat plant updates

The province also updated cases at meat-packing plants around Alberta.

At the Cargill plant in High River, there are now 58 active cases and 893 people have recovered.

There are 82 active cases involving workers from JBS Foods Canada in Brooks and 520 people have recovered.

At Harmony Beef, there are currently 17 active cases and 21 recoveries.

Seniors online hub launched

On Sunday, the provincial government announced it had launched an online platform for organizations that are offering support for seniors through COVID-19.

CORE — Collaborative Online Resources and Education — will be managed by the United Way of Calgary and Area and cost about $40,000 to develop.

The website aims to help organizations better co-ordinate COVID-19 resources, transportation, food security, and social isolation and home supports for older people in the province.

Seniors who need to find assistance should still use 211 services.

The Alberta government and partners including Alberta Health Services, Alberta Blue Cross and the federal government will also be investing about $720,000 to support the programs that will be co-ordinated through CORE.

“We are using this technology to better serve Alberta seniors. Older individuals are among those most at risk for COVID-19,” Josephine Pon, Alberta’s minister of seniors and housing, said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We are using this technology to better serve Alberta seniors. Older individuals are among those most at risk for COVID-19," Josephine Pon, Alberta's minister of seniors and housing, said.

“We believe the online knowledge hub will enhance the way organizations support seniors during the pandemic and help keep them safe as we move forward with our relaunch plans.”