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Alberta identifies 2,272 new COVID-19 cases, two additional B.1.617 variant cases reported

This electron microscope image made available and color-enhanced by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Integrated Research Facility in Fort Detrick, Md., shows Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, orange, isolated from a patient. University of Hong Kong scientists claim to have the first evidence of someone being reinfected with the virus that causes COVID-19. They said Monday, Aug. 24, 2020 that genetic tests show a 33-year-old man returning to Hong Kong from a trip to Spain in mid-August had a different strain of the coronavirus than the one he’d previously been infected with in March. (NIAID/National Institutes of Health via AP)

CALGARY (660 NEWS) — Alberta has identified 2,272 new cases of COVID-19, including 903 new variant cases.

There are now 24,156 active cases of COVID-19 in Alberta, 59.4 per cent of which are variant cases.

Two additional cases of the B.1.617 variant have been identified in the province, doubling from two cases up to four.

It isn’t known at this time if the new variant cases are related to the first two cases, or if it has made its way into the community.

There are now 666 people in hospital fighting the virus, with 146 people in the ICU.

An additional three deaths were reported on Wednesday.

As for vaccines in the province, another 26,000+ were administered over the last day, with the province approaching 1.7 million vaccines administered to date.