Dr. Marcia Johnson, Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Health in Alberta, gave Saturday's COVID-19 update in Edmonton (Photo: Government of Alberta)

By Shaun Penner

Saturday's COVID-19 Update

31 new COVID-19 cases in Alberta, no increase in North Zone

Mar 21, 2020 | 4:14 PM

The total number of cases of COVID-19 in Alberta went up by 31 on Saturday, however the government’s data website suggests that there are no new confirmed cases in the North Zone from the day prior.

Dr. Marcia Johnson, who is the Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Health in Alberta, provided Saturday’s update in place of Dr. Deena Hinshaw, who is taking the weekend off. Dr. Johnson says there are now 226 cases of the novel coronavirus in the province.

Reporting that there were 17 confirmed cases in the North Zone on Friday, the latest update to the government’s data map says there are just 16 cases now in the North as of March 21.

Two of those confirmed cases are still listed in the City of Grande Prairie.

With Saturday’s update increasing by 18 less people than Friday (which saw 49 new cases), Dr. Johnson says she is hopeful this is a sign that social distancing is working, but said it is still far too early to tell.

“It is too soon to make that conclusion on one day’s information. The whole aim of all the social distancing restrictions we have put in is to decrease the number of people getting ill, and to decrease the speed which (people) are getting ill.”

Dr. Johnson says across Alberta, there are now 11 COVID-19 patients in hospital while six are in Intensive Care. There were no new confirmed recoveries from Friday’s update, which showed three patients had recovered from the virus.