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COVID-19. (Dreamstime)

Active COVID cases reach 34K in Alberta, tripling since pre-Christmas update

Jan 4, 2022 | 4:33 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The province has released its latest report on COVID-19 for Tuesday, covering statistics from the past six days.

During that time, 21,751 cases were confirmed for a daily average of 3,625. To date, the province has seen 379,374 positive tests. 341,776 people have recovered.

Over the holiday break, the Alberta Government says the positivity rate was around 30 per cent.

Active cases have shot up since our last full update on December 23. Then, 8,359 cases were active. Now, that has increased to 34,276, up 310 per cent.

The South Zone has seen a jump in active infections of 1,111 over the last 11 days while going up by 409 in Lethbridge.

Across the region, 1,092 people tested positive since December 23, or about 99 each day.

Since December 23, 23 Albertans have died from COVID with seven each in the Calgary and North Zones, six in the Edmonton Zone, and three in the Central Zone. To date, 3,322 people in the province have died as a result of the virus.

Provincially, 436 patients are currently hospitalized with COVID including 61 who have been admitted to intensive care.

Below are graphs showing how COVID-19 in Alberta has trended since the start of the pandemic, which can also be accessed with more detail here.

Active COVID-19 cases in Alberta. (Alberta Health Services)
COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admissions in Alberta. (Alberta Health Services)
COVID-19 outcomes by vaccination status. (Alberta Health Services)

Below is a breakdown of cases per health zone in Alberta:

  • Calgary Zone – 145,878 cases, 17,082 active
    • 188 in hospital, 18 in ICU
    • 865 deaths (seven new)
  • Edmonton Zone – 119,510 cases, 12,760 active
    • 117 in hospital, 32 in ICU
    • 1,335 deaths (six new)
  • North Zone – 48,256 cases, 1,219 active
    • 44 in hospital, three in ICU
    • 415 deaths (seven new)
  • Central Zone – 40,499 cases, 1,602 active
    • 71 in hospital, five in ICU
    • 417 deaths (three new)
  • South Zone – 24,692 cases, 1,111 active
    • 16 in hospital, three in ICU
    • 290 deaths

Below is a breakdown of cases in the South Health Zone. The numbers in brackets show new cases or deaths over the last 11 days:

  • Lethbridge – 7,827 cases (490 new), 503 active, 62 deaths
    • West Lethbridge – 2,924 cases (223 new), 231 active, eight deaths
    • North Lethbridge – 2,526 cases (130 new),129 active, 22 deaths
    • South Lethbridge – 2,373 cases (143 new), 146 active, 32 deaths
  • Medicine Hat – 4,964 cases (301 new), 321 active, 78 deaths
  • Brooks – 2,138 cases (29 new), 30 active, 24 deaths
  • Lethbridge County – 2,066 cases (66 new), 68 active, 20 deaths
  • Cardston County – 1,914 cases (38 new), 37 active, 40 deaths
  • M.D. of Taber – 1,340 cases (28 new), 29 active, 18 deaths
  • Cypress County – 903 cases (25 new), 28 active, six deaths
  • County of Warner – 819 cases (19 new), 19 active, four deaths
  • M.D. of Pincher Creek – 700 cases (38 new), 35 active, 11 deaths
  • Fort Macleod – 599 cases (20 new), 22 active, seven deaths
  • County of Newell – 537 cases (eight new), eight active, eight deaths
  • County of Forty Mile – 354 cases (nine new), nine active, five deaths
  • Crowsnest Pass – 198 cases (11 new), 14 active, one death
  • Waterton – Eight cases, zero active, zero deaths