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Alberta’s COVID caseload continues to drop as anti-viral drug become available to those at highest risk

Alberta gets 6,537 new COVID cases over the weekend
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Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, says getting vaccinated is the most effective ways to prevent severe cases of COVID and reduce risks that come with getting infected. (File photo by The Canadian Press) Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, provides a COVID-19 update in Edmonton on Friday, Sept. 3, 2021. Hinshaw says COVID-19 hospitalization rates are rising to levels not seen in the province since mid-October. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

COVID-19 numbers in Red Deer are continuing to drop, with 932 active cases confirmed on Monday.

A similar decline is also seen in provincial COVID cases. But chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw still urged Albertans not to become complacent but to “get every vaccine you are eligible for…

“Getting vaccinated is the most effective ways to prevent severe cases of COVID and reduce risks that come with getting infected,” she posted on Twitter.

Hinshaw added that starting Monday only Albertans who are at most risk, or who have potentially life-threatening health conditions, can get prescriptions for Paxlovid, a drug to treat mild to moderate cases of COVID. More information on eligibility is available on Alberta Health’s website.

In Alberta, 6,537 new cases of the virus were reported over the weekend, according to confirmed lab testing results. This brings the provincial total of active cases to 37,468, which is a significant drop from the 51,157 new cases that had been reported this time last week.

On Friday there were 2,945 new active cases in the province, on Saturday there were 1,815, and on Sunday 1,777.

According to Monday’s COVID-19 update, there are 1,516 people in hospital in Alberta with the virus, including 99 in intensive care.

Thirty-five additional deaths were reported in Alberta on Monday, bringing the provincial total to 3,566. Three more people died Central zone over the weekend, bringing the death toll to 438 in total.

According to geospatial mapping on the provincial government’s website, the number of people who have died due to implications of COVID-19 in Red Deer is at 85.

In Central zone, there were 3,774 active COVID cases on Tuesday, with 152 people in hospital and eight in intensive care.

Stettler County had 86 active cases, Clearwater County had 110, Mountain View County had 100, Red Deer County had 272, the City of Lacombe had 134, Lacombe County had 140, Olds had 57 and Sylvan Lake had 96.

Wetaskiwin, including Maskwacis, had 735 active cases, while Ponoka, including East Ponoka County, had 191 and Rimbey, including West Ponoka County and part of Lacombe County, had 33.

The City of Camrose had 130, Kneehill County had 85, Camrose County has 39 and Drumheller had 95.