COVID-19: Active cases rise in Alberta for the first time since early May, 53 new cases

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Active cases of COVID-19 are increasing in Alberta for the first time in more than two months.

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There were 578 active cases in the province by Thursday, just nine cases higher than the day previous, but ending a streak that saw active cases fall every day since May 10.

New cases are still low — 53 were reported Thursday provincewide — but the rate the virus is spreading is increasing. A look at the province’s most recent R-values, for July 5 to 11, show a rate of 0.84, up from 0.75 the two weeks before. R-values below one show spread is declining while values above one show it is increasing.

The Edmonton area’s R-value is higher at 0.97, but two weeks ago it was 0.73. Calgary’s has also climbed to 0.88 from 0.74 two weeks ago.

Thursday also marked the end of a five-day streak where fewer than 50 new cases were reported across Alberta.

Hospitalizations from COVID-19 are still dropping, sitting at 107 Thursday, including 31 in ICU. One more person has died from COVID-19, for at total of 2,312 fatalities.

Vaccinations are rising. Of Albertans 12 and up, 74.4 per cent have one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine while 57.1 per cent have two.

More to come …

lboothby@postmedia.com

@laurby