The number of COVID patients continues to fall but the virus is still taking a deadly toll, including three more deaths in Red Deer.
Fifty-one Albertans, including 10 in Central Zone, died from COVID-related complications in the week ending May 30. Since the pandemic began, 4,558 people have died, including 591 in Central Zone. In Red Deer, 113 people have now died.
Alberta-wide, there are now 931 people being treated for COVID in hospital, down from 1,040 from May 17-23. There are 29 people in intensive care, down two from a week earlier.
The seven-day positivity rate is also moving in the right direction. The 17 per cent rate is down from 21.44 per cent.
There were 2,348 new cases identified through PCR testing in the last week. Since the pandemic began, 583,112 COVID cases have been identified.
There continue to be outbreaks — defined as more than two cases — at Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre and Centennial Centre in Ponoka as well as in nearly 20 long-term care and supportive living facilities throughout the Central Zone, which extends from Two Hills, east of Edmonton, to Drumheller in the south.
In Red Deer, the number of new COVID cases over the previous seven days ending on Monday was 57 — down one over the previous seven days. The seven-day case rate is down to 52.6 per 100,000 people, compared with 53.6 a week ago.
The total number of Red Deer cases since the pandemic began is now 15,141.
In Red Deer County, there were 19 new cases over seven days, up two from the seven days prior.
Sylvan Lake has had 18 new cases, Lacombe six, Olds 17, Wetaskiwin three, Camrose 16 and Drumheller eight.
Lacombe County has had four, Clearwater County 12, County of Stettler six, Mountain View County 14, Kneehill County one and Camrose County four.
On the local geographic area setting, Wetaskiwin County, including Maskwacis, has had 13 new cases, while Ponoka, including East Ponoka County, had three and Rimbey, including West Ponoka County and part of Lacombe County, had four.
Alberta Health Minister David Copping and Alberta Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw did not provide a weekly update on Wednesday. It returns on June 8.