Alberta reported 171 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. No new deaths related to the disease were reported by Alberta Health.
The positive cases of COVID-19 come after 12,540 tests were completed on Tuesday.
Of the new cases identified on Wednesday, 119 — or nearly 70 per cent — were in the Edmonton zone.
As of Wednesday afternoon, there were 1,495 active cases of COVID-19 in Alberta. Of the active cases, 710 are located in the Edmonton zone, 507 are in the Calgary zone, 207 are in the North zone, 34 are in the South zone, 32 are in the Central zone and five are not tied to any specific zone.
The 710 active cases in the Edmonton zone is the highest number of active cases the zone has seen since the pandemic began.
So far, 16,128 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Alberta and 254 people have died of the disease.
Also Wednesday, Alberta Health Services announced a new way Albertans can request scheduled visits with loved ones in certain continuing care facilities across the province.
Albertans with loved ones in sites operated by AHS, Capital Care, Carewest and Covenant Health can now schedule a visit online.
“Visits with loved ones and support persons are a crucial part of the care we provide. Scheduling visits with residents ensures we can support regular visits while minimizing the risk of transmission to residents and staff,” AHS president and CEO Dr. Verna Yiu said in a media release.
“It’s important that continuing care residents stay emotionally and socially connected to their loved ones.”
AHS said participation in the online booking system is voluntary and up to each specific continuing care site. AHS noted that some locations already have effective booking systems in place.
The new online booking tool does not change visitor guidelines that are in place at continuing care facilities in Alberta.
The online booking tool is being launched in phases over the next week.
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