Number of COVID-19 hospitalizations drops but Alberta announces 13 more coronavirus deaths Monday

The number of people in Alberta hospitals with COVID-19 dropped over the weekend.

On Monday afternoon, Alberta Health said that 608 people were in hospital with the illness, down from 660 on Friday. The number of COVID-19 patients in ICUs also declined, down from 141 on Friday to 135 on Monday.

There were 1,300 more COVID-19 cases identified in the province over the weekend: 586 on Friday, 430 on Saturday and 284 on Sunday. Alberta currently has 6,387 active coronavirus cases.

READ MORE: Physicians warn of 5th wave if restrictions lifted too quickly as COVID numbers ease 

The Calgary zone has more active cases than any other region in the province (1,804), followed by the Edmonton zone (1,421), the North zone (1,396), the Central zone (1,170) and the South zone (589). There are seven cases not linked to any particular zone.

According to the Alberta government’s website, the province’s positivity rate is at 5.3 per cent.

READ MORE: Canada looking ‘quite carefully’ at PCR testing rules as U.S. land border reopens 

Over the weekend, Alberta Health said 13 more deaths have been linked to COVID-19. Since the pandemic began, 3,155 people in the province have died of the disease.

Watch below: Some recent Global News videos about the COVID-19 situation in Alberta.

1:58 Thousands of Alberta nurses will soon be eligible for COVID-19 booster shots

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• Alberta identifies 487 new COVID-19 cases, 14 additional deaths on Wednesday
• Kenny announces expansion of Alberta’s COVID-19 vaccine booster program
• COVID-19: Kenney says he was ‘being transparent’ regarding comments about Hinshaw
• Kenney’s comments ‘accurately reflected what I brought forward’: Hinshaw

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Effective Monday, more Albertans became eligible to receiver booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine.

“Booster shots can add important additional protection from COVID-19, especially for the vulnerable,” Health Minister Jason Copping tweeted.

Those aged 70 and older with at least six months past their second dose are eligible.

Also eligible for the booster shot are all First Nations, Inuit and Métis people aged 18 and older for whom it has been at least six months since their second dose.

READ MORE: 39K Alberta health workers eligible for COVID-19 booster as many hit 10-month mark since last dose 

The government also made the booster shots available to health-care workers providing direct patient care who received their second dose less than eight weeks after their first dose.

–With a file from Emily Mertz, Global News