Alberta reports 32 new COVID-19 cases, 2 additional deaths

Alberta reported 32 more cases of COVID-19 Friday along with two more deaths.

That brings the total number of cases in the province to 6,800, including 5,801recovered cases and 134 deaths.

The two deaths involve a woman in her 70s, who livedat Calgary's Carewest Sarceecare homeand awoman in her 90swho lived atKensington VillageinEdmonton.

There have been 804 cases in continuing care facilities in Alberta. Of these, 83 are active, 621 patients have recovered, and100 have died.

In the province as a whole, there are 865 active cases with 54 people in hospital, six in intensive care.

A regional breakdown of cases as of Friday shows the impact of COVID-19 in different parts of the province:

• Calgary zone: 689active, 3,912 recovered
• South zone: 93active, 1,122recovered
• Edmonton zone: 58active, 453recovered
• North zone: 18active, 199recovered
• Central zone: fouractive, 94recovered
• Unknown: threeactive, 21recovered

To date 209,412 Albertans have been tested for COVID-19.

Earlier Friday, Premier Jason Kenney announced Calgary and Brooks will join the rest of Alberta Monday by allowing bars, restaurants, hair salons and barbershops to open.

Kenney was joined by Health Minister Tyler Shandro who announced he is expanding whatnon-urgent surgeries can be performed to includemore day surgeries and those requiring an overnight stay. Thesurgeries were put on hold to make sure the health-care system had capacity to help those affected by COVID-19.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical officer of health,will host her next news conference onCOVID-19Monday.

On Thursday Hinshaw urged Albertans not to be lulled into a false sense of security over the dropping number of cases.

"We need to remember that moving into the fall we always see a spike in, for example, influenza, [and] other respiratory viruses," she said. "So we just need to continually practise thegood public health measures."

• Calgary, Brooks can join rest of Alberta Monday in Phase 1 easing of COVID-19 restrictions
• Alberta's top doctor warns public against COVID-19 complacency