Alberta breaks daily COVID-19 record again with 919 new cases

Alberta once again shattered its daily COVID-19 record with 919 new cases reported on Saturday.

That brokethe previous record of around 800 cases set on Nov. 4.

The province also reported five deaths: aman in his 90s and a female in her 80s linked to the outbreak at the Edmonton General Continuing Care Centre; a woman in her 80s linked to the outbreak at the Grey Nuns Community Hospital in Edmonton;awomanin her 100s linked to the outbreak at Mount Royal Revera in Calgary; and a man in his 90s linked to the outbreak at Extendicare Mayerthorpe.

The total number of deaths as of Saturday is 357.

Due to technical problems with the reporting system, the province will not be providing a breakdown of cases by zone or new numbers for hospitalizations for Saturday.

Here's the regional breakdown of active cases reported on Friday.

• Calgary zone: 2,886
• Edmonton zone: 2,819
• North zone: 431
• South zone: 398
• Central zone: 255
• Unknown: 33

On Thursday, Alberta's Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw warned that if COVID-19 case numbers continue to rise, more public health measures will be coming to the province.

Alberta announced new public health measures in Calgary and Edmonton in late October, including the mandatory 15-person limit on social gatherings.

"I have had many people ask me why we're focusing on social gatherings," Hinshaw said Thursday. "The answer is because it is a problem that is driving COVID-19 spread in our communities. By far the No. 1 driver of new cases we are seeing is exposure in households and private gatherings."

About 40 per cent of the active cases in Calgary and Edmonton were transmittedeither at home or at private gatherings, she said.

Hinshaw also said that the number of cases with unknown exposures is amajor concern. As of Nov. 3, the last day the province provided a breakdown by source of transmission, 50 per cent of cases had an unknown exposure.