Editor’s note: This story originally stated eight deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, however, there were nine deaths in the last 24 hours. Global News regrets the error.
Alberta reported 603 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday and nine additional deaths from the disease.
Active cases of the virus, as well as hospitalizations and ICU admissions continue to decline.
There are now 8,158 active cases in Alberta, a drop from 8,387 active cases Thursday.
Of the active cases, 2,078 are in the Calgary zone, 1,847 are in the Edmonton zone, 1,635 are in the Central zone, 1,725 are in the North zone, 868 are in the South zone and five are not tied to any specific zone.
There are now 765 people in hospital with COVID-19, a drop from 779 in hospital a day before. Of those, 180 people are being treated in intensive care, a drop from 185 patients on Thursday.
The province’s death toll has now increased to 3,093.
Of the nine deaths reported Friday, four were in the South zone: a woman in her 60s, a man in his 60s, a man in his 70s and a man in his 90s.
Two deaths occurred in the North zone: a man in his 70s and a man in his 80s.
One death occurred in the Edmonton zone: a woman in her 60s.
One death occurred in the Calgary zone: a man in his 70s.
One death occurred in the Central zone: a man in his 80s.
All nine deaths included pre-existing conditions, according to Alberta Health.
Earlier Friday, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw took to Twitter to remind people that with Halloween coming up this weekend, this is not the year for large parties.
Last week, Hinshaw provided tips for safe trick-or-treating, as well as a reminder that indoor gatherings are limited to 10 people from two households for those who are vaccinated against COVID-19. Those who are not vaccinated are not allowed to gather indoors. Outdoor gatherings are limited to 20 people with distancing between households.
Currently, 86.9 per cent of of Albertans 12 and older have received one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and 79.8 per cent are fully vaccinated.
Also Friday, the Food and Drug Administration cleared kid-size doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine — just a third of the amount given to teens and adults — for emergency use in the United States.
The vaccine will be given as a two-dose series, with the doses administered three weeks apart.
One more regulatory hurdle remains — on Tuesday, advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will make more detailed recommendations on which youngsters should get vaccinated, with a final decision by the agency’s director expected shortly afterwards.
This means up to 28 million more American children could be eligible for vaccinations as early as next week.
In response to the authorization, Health Canada said its review of Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine is ongoing and is being prioritized.
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