Alberta reports 645 new cases of COVID-19, 10 new deaths

Alberta reported 645 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday and 10 new deaths related to the disease.

The new cases were detected through11,343 tests with a positivity rate around 5.58 per cent the lowest positivity rate recorded since August.

There have now been3,073 COVID-19 deaths in Alberta since the start of the pandemic.

Currently, there are 810 people in hospital with COVID-19, including 184 being treated in intensive care beds.Of the 184 in ICU, about87.5 per centare unvaccinated or partially vaccinated.

Active cases continue to decline. The province now has 8,733 active cases, the lowest number since Aug. 24. Here's a regional breakdown of active COVID-19 cases in Alberta:

• Calgary zone: 2,223
• Edmonton zone: 2,025
• North zone: 1,828
• Central zone: 1,722
• South zone: 928
• Unknown: 7

Despite the decline, the province still leads the country in active cases by a significant margin. The rate of active cases by population is highest in Northwest Territories.

As of the latest update, about86.8per cent of eligible Albertans have had at least one dose of a COVID-19, while 79.4 per cent have had both. According to CBC's vaccine tracker, the national average for first dose is88.5 per cent of those eligible and83.7 per cent for two doses.

Across the province, 14,084 doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered Wednesday, roughly half of which were second doses. About67.5 per cent of Alberta's entire population is considered fully vaccinated against COVID-19.