Alberta recorded 1,210 new cases of COVID-19 over the last three days, as well as 18 more deaths from the disease.
Of the new cases, 533 were identified on Friday, 335 were identified Saturday and 342 were identified Sunday. The positivity rate was about 5.14 per cent, according to the provincial government’s website.
The total number of active cases of COVID-19 declined over the weekend, from 8,158 active cases Friday to 7,580 active cases provincewide on Monday.
Of the active cases, 1,985 are in the Calgary zone, 1,724 are in the Edmonton zone, 1,457 are in the Central zone, 798 are in the South zone, 1,606 are in the North zone and 10 are not tied to any zone.
The number of people in hospital with COVID-19 decreased over the weekend. There are now 689 people in hospital with COVID-19, with 157 of those people being treated in intensive care.
Earlier Monday, the province announced that 80 per cent of the eligible population is now fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with two doses.
“More and more Albertans are choosing to be protected against COVID-19 because of the undeniable fact that vaccines work and they save lives,” Premier Jason Kenney said in a news release.
“It’s great news that we’ve reached this milestone that will also help to ease the pressure on our health-care system in the future.”
More than 87 per cent of eligible Albertans 12 and older have received their first shot. The province encourages anyone who is eligible and has not yet been immunized to roll up their sleeve.
“Vaccines are highly effective at protecting us from severe illness,” chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said. “While we continue to see the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations decline, this trend could reverse quickly if we are not careful. We need as many people as possible to choose vaccine protection to help keep numbers moving in the right direction.”
Vaccine appointments can be booked online through the province’s website.