While Alberta had a much smaller increase in its COVID-19 case count Sunday, the estimated number of tests was also significantly lower than normal due to New Year’s Day.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw shared an early update online related to preliminary COVID-19 numbers disease Sunday morning.
There were an estimated 400 new cases reported, out of about 8,100 tests.
Hinshaw said that the latest numbers give a provincial positivity rate of five per cent.
However, she added that Sunday’s numbers come from tests completed on the holiday.
“Fewer people were tested Jan. 1 so fewer tests were processed and reported Jan. 2,” Hinshaw said.
Hinshaw added that hospitalizations and ICU numbers remain stable in the province.
The last time Alberta had a daily case count of below 500 was on Oct. 29, when there were 477 new COVID-19 cases, out of 12,186 tests — giving a positivity rate of four per cent.
The province has not updated its official numbers since Dec. 30, 2020, but is expected to provide a full update, including deaths and cases by zone, on Monday.
At last count, there had been a total of 1,046 deaths related to COVID-19 in Alberta.