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Record-breaking 2,048 cases of COVID-19 identified in Alberta

Last Updated Apr 29, 2021 at 6:47 pm MDT

FILE - This 2020 electron microscope image provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - Rocky Mountain Laboratories shows SARS-CoV-2 virus particles which cause COVID-19, isolated from a patient in the U.S., emerging from the surface of cells cultured in a lab. Viruses are constantly mutating, with coronavirus variants circulating around the globe. (NIAID-RML via AP)

CALGARY (660 NEWS) — A record-breaking 2,048 cases of COVID-19 were identified in Alberta on Thursday.

The newly identified cases come after more than 20,000 tests were completed, giving the province a positivity rate of 10.1 per cent.

The province also broke the record for active cases with 21,385 current infections in Alberta.

WATCH: Premier Jason Kenney and Dr. Deena Hinshaw provide the latest provincial COVID-19 update.

Of the new cases, over 1,300 are variants of concern, with variant cases now making up 62 per cent of all active cases.

There are now 632 people in hospital, with 151 people in the ICU.

Three additional deaths were identified Thursday.

Currently, 750 schools in Alberta have active alerts or restrictions in place, making up about 31 per cent of all schools in the province.

As for vaccines, the province surpassed the 1.5 million mark in the last 24 hours, with over 27 per cent of the province’s total population receiving at least one dose.