Alberta records 348 new cases of COVID-19 and 12 additional deaths

Alberta reported 348 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, and 12 more deaths.

Active cases continue to drop, with 6,266 cases of the illness in Alberta reported Saturday a drop of more than 100 cases from the number reported the previous day.

On Friday, the number of active cases across the province was 6,407.

Hospitalizations also saw a slight decrease, with 457 people currently in hospital with the illness down 18 from Friday including 84 in intensive care unit beds. On Friday, 475 people in Alberta were being treated in hospital for COVID-19, including 89 people in intensive care.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical officer of health, encouraged the public to "remain vigilant.

"It's important that we remain vigilant and follow public health guidance so we can continue on the path forward," Hinshaw said on Twitter. "Please continue to refrain from indoor social gatherings. Wear a mask when in an indoor public setting and stay home if you're sick."

Provincial labs completed 10,033 tests for the disease on Friday, for a positivity rate of around 3.65 per cent.

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Of the 12 deaths reported Saturday, half were in the Edmonton zone, four were in the Calgary zone, one in the North zone, and one in the Central zone.

The deaths occurred between Dec. 23 and Feb. 5.

Since the pandemic began last March, there have been 126,416 cases of COVID-19 in Alberta, including 1,705 deaths from the disease.

The regional breakdown of active cases on Saturday is:

• Calgary zone: 2,561
• Edmonton zone: 1,940
• North zone: 794
• Central zone: 654
• South zone: 304
• Unknown: 13

The province reported 116,716 doses of vaccine had been administered as of end of the day Friday.