The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 in Alberta rose to 3,830 on Friday, up eight from the day before.
Alberta Health posted the province’s latest pandemic-related numbers to its website Friday afternoon. The number of patients with COVID-19 in Alberta hospitals increased ever so slightly on Friday, up by three from a day earlier for a total of 1,494 people. The number of those patients in intensive care units remained unchanged, however, at 116.
READ MORE: Number of Alberta hospital patients with COVID-19 drops slightly as province reports 18 more deaths
The province said Friday that 619 new cases were identified via PCR tests over the past 24 hours. The total number of active cases in Alberta continued to drop on Friday, down to 15,384 from 16,551 a day earlier. However, public health officials have noted that because of limits on who is eligible to receive a PCR test, the true number of new and active cases is likely far higher than what is being reported.
According to the provincial government’s website, the province’s positivity rate is at 21.48 per cent.
Hinshaw reminds Albertans of public health rules in effect
Chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw took to social media on Friday to remind Albertans that although the province has entered Step 1 of its plan to lift public health restrictions related to the pandemic, there are still rules and guidelines to be followed.
“As we head into the long weekend, please remember that we are still in Step 1 and to follow the current public health measures in place,” she tweeted.
Earlier this month, the province scrapped a number of its public health measures, including its vaccine passport program, dropping masking requirements for all K-12 students in schools and also mask requirements for all children under 13 years of age in any setting.
READ MORE: COVID-19: Downtown Calgary braces for provincial work-from-home mandates to be lifted
The Alberta government has said if hospitalization numbers continue to trend downwards, the province will enter Step 2 of its plan to loosen and lift restrictions March 1. Among the measures that would be lifted in Step 2 are indoor masking requirements, mandatory work-from-home requirements and capacity limits on indoor and outdoor gatherings.
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