Latest updates
- Over the last 24 hours, 917 new cases were identified.
- 1,007 new cases were identified and 15,585 tests were completed on Dec. 23
- 1,191 new cases were identified and 17,845 tests were completed on Dec. 24
- 914 new cases were identified and 14,193 tests were completed on Dec. 25
- 459 new cases were identified and 6,866 tests were completed on Dec. 26
- There are 878 people in hospital due to COVID-19, including 148 in intensive care.
- There are 15,487 active cases in the province.
- To date, 81,780 Albertans have recovered from COVID-19.
- In the last 24 hours, there were 20 additional COVID-related deaths reported.
- 30 deaths were reported on Dec. 23
- 18 deaths were reported on Dec. 24
- 17 deaths were reported on Dec. 25
- 27 deaths were reported on Dec. 26
- The testing positivity rate on Dec. 27 was 9.6 per cent.
- To date, there was an increase of 64,122 tests (2,754,873 total) for a total of 1,643,096 people tested.
- In the last 24 hours, all zones across the province have cases:
- Calgary Zone: 5,429 active cases and 32,152 recovered
- South Zone: 315 active cases and 4,568 recovered
- Edmonton Zone: 7,127 active cases and 34,672 recovered
- North Zone: 1,049 active cases and 5,537 recovered
- Central Zone: 1,484 active cases and 4,708 recovered
- 83 active cases and 143 recovered cases in zones to be confirmed
- Additional information, including case totals, is online.
- There are currently 1,363 active and 5,008 recovered cases at long-term care facilities and supportive/home living sites.
- To date, 666 of the 1,002 reported deaths (66 per cent) have been in long-term care facilities or supportive/home living sites.
COVID-19 immunization program
- A second shipment of Pfizer vaccine has arrived in Alberta and is being offered to health-care workers and long-term care workers across the province.
- To date, 6,016 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Alberta.
Provincewide restrictions to slow the spread of COVID-19
- In response to increasing case numbers, enhanced public measures prohibiting social gatherings, requiring masking and restricting businesses and services are in effect.
- All indoor and outdoor social gatherings – public and private – are prohibited.
- Individuals who live alone may join another household for one gathering only during the holiday period (Dec. 23-28). This holiday exemption is for individuals who live alone only.
- All existing guidance and legal orders remain in place.
Testing for travellers from the U.K. and South Africa
- All travellers who have arrived from the United Kingdom and South Africa since Dec. 7 should immediately get a COVID-19 test, whether they have symptoms or not.
- Travellers will be contacted directly by Alberta Health Services to book a test.
- Also, travellers from the United Kingdom or South Africa who are participating in the border pilot must immediately quarantine, whether they’ve had a negative test or not. All returning travellers currently in quarantine must remain in quarantine for the full 14 days.
Rapid testing
- Rapid point-of-care testing has begun at long-term care and designated supportive living facilities in the Edmonton Zone using dedicated mobile testing centres.
- Remote and rural hospitals in Alberta will receive rapid tests in late December and early January.
- Rapid testing has already been expanded to homeless shelters and centres in Calgary and Edmonton.
Enforcement of public health measures
- The government has granted certain Alberta peace officers and community peace officers temporary authority to enforce public health orders.
- Not following mandatory restrictions will result in fines of $1,000 per ticketed offence and up to $100,000 through the courts.
Albertans downloading tracer app
- All Albertans are encouraged to download the secure ABTraceTogether app, which is integrated with provincial contact tracing. The federal app is not a contact tracing app.
- Secure contact tracing is an effective tool to stop the spread by notifying people who were exposed to a confirmed case so they can isolate and be tested.
- As of Dec. 21, 287,251 Albertans were using the ABTraceTogether app, 66 per cent on iOS and 34 per cent on Android. On average, 22 new users were registering every hour.
- Secure contact tracing is a cornerstone of Alberta’s Relaunch Strategy.
Addiction and mental health supports
- Confidential supports are available. The Mental Health Help Line at 1-877-303-2642 and the Addiction Help Line at 1-866-332-2322 operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Resources are also available online.
- The Kids Help Phone is available 24-7 and offers professional counselling, information and referrals and volunteer-led, text-based support to young people by texting CONNECT to 686868.
- Online resources provide advice on handling stressful situations and ways to talk with children.
Family violence prevention
- A 24-hour Family Violence Information Line at 310-1818 provides anonymous help in more than 170 languages.
- Alberta’s One Line for Sexual Violence is available at 1-866-403-8000, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- People fleeing family violence can call local police or the nearest RCMP detachment to apply for an Emergency Protection Order, or follow the steps in the Emergency Protection Orders Telephone Applications (COVID-19).
- Information sheets and other resources on family violence prevention are at alberta.ca/COVID19.
Alberta’s government is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic by protecting lives and livelihoods with precise measures to bend the curve, sustain small businesses and protect Alberta’s health-care system.
Quick facts
- Legally, all Albertans must physically distance and isolate when sick or with symptoms.
- Good hygiene is your best protection: wash your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds, avoid touching your face, cough or sneeze into an elbow or sleeve, and dispose of tissues appropriately.
- Please share acts of kindness during this difficult time at #AlbertaCares.
- Alberta Connects Contact Centre (310-4455) is open Monday to Friday, 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.