Out of 9,281 tests completed in the last 24 hours, Alberta has identified 103 new cases of COVID-19.  

The active total in the province is now 1,084 and there are 11,292 recoveries, 125 of which are new. 

Grande Prairie saw four new cases and three people recovered for 17 active and 42 recoveries. In the County, one new case was identified, and the totals are 13 active and 23 recoveries. Big Lakes County’s one case has recovered. In total, 42 people have recovered there, and one person has died. 

There was one death in the province, in Mackenzie County. They also saw eight new cases and 12 recoveries. They have 41 active, 187 recoveries and eight deaths. Provincially, there have been 228 deaths.  

Hospitalizations are down slightly today, with 43 in the hospital and 12 of these in intensive care. 

In her update today, Dr. Hinshaw credited the uptick in the number of COVID-19 tests in the last couple of days to teachers and school authority staff choosing to get tested before school begins in a couple of weeks. She encouraged this group again to get tested.  

Dr. Hinshaw also talked about the evidence used to inform the public health recommendations provided for the school return plan to address the concerns of Albertans. 

According to Dr. Hinshaw, a review of all available evidence showed: 

  • if children are infected with COVID-19, they are more likely to be mildly sick, and fewer are hospitalized 
  • childhood infections, particularly in younger children, do not seem to drive community transmission 
  • young children seem less likely than adults to infect others while older children seem to transmit infection in a way more like adults 
  • one of the main predictors of successful school reopening in COVID is the level of community transmission outside the school 

“We must take the pandemic seriously…and we also need to look at the whole picture. We must consider all the risks to our children and our communities. We can reasonably expect some infections at schools. Our job is to limit the number of these infections, prevent large outbreaks, and prevent onward spread of these sporadic cases.” 

The re-entry plan will be adapted as needed.  

Dr. Hinshaw said she is sending her kids back to school in the fall, but there is no wrong decision on the part of parents whether to have their children taught in person or online. 

“Each parent is uniquely positioned to make the best decision for their family, and school authorities have worked to provide innovative options to support student learning wherever that may be. Regardless of your choice, taking precautions is our new normal for all ages, including our children.” 

Today, a detailed plan of what will happen if there is a COVID cases identified at school was released. That is available HERE.

Watch the full update here: