Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw gave the provincial update on COVID-19 today (December 7)  

Another 1,735 active cases have been found bringing the provincial total to above 20,000. Approximately 20,300 tests were conducted in the past 24 hours, meaning the province's positivity rate sits at 8.5%.

Of these active cases 609 people are in hospital with 108 in ICU. 16 more deaths were also announced.

In the City of Airdrie, the number of active cases rose to 316. Recoveries rose as well to a total of 781 Airdronians having recovered from COVID-19. The number of Airdronian deaths from COVID-19 remains at 4. 

The number of active cases in Rocky View County sits at 132 with 1 death. 

Hinshaw went on to clarify some confusion surrounding the guidelines regarding someone who lives alone.

"I recognize the impacts that isolation may have on both mental and physical health. That's why people who live alone are allowed to socialize indoors with 2 close contacts as long as they are the same 2 contacts for the duration of the restrictions. To clarify, we consider you to be living alone of you are the sole occupant of your house, apartment, or unit. If you have a roommate, tenant, or friend staying in the same dwelling, you do not live alone.

If you do live alone, the 2 contacts you choose do not need to be from the same house and they also do not need to be living on their own. But if you choose a close contact who has other individuals in their home, indoor gatherings must take place in your home."

Dr. Hinshaw also announced a pilot project for point of care rapid testing at the COVID-19 assessment centres in St. Paul and Slave Lake as well as one assessment centre each in Calgary and Edmonton.

"These tests will provide faster, more convenient testing for the disease. As I noted last week, these tests are used for patients who are within the first 7 days of showing symptoms, reducing the need for some patient samples to be transported to centralized, public laboratories. I need to remind everyone that in those without symptoms the rapid tests are less accurate. In addition, they are less sensitive than a molecular test. So those who have symptoms and test negative with a rapid test will still have to isolate while waiting for the results of the molecular test."

Hinshaw ended the press conference by weighing on the rise in case numbers, saying the active numbers found today and over the weekend are a reflection of positive contact 7-10 days ago. She also says "I will be blunt. So far, we are not bending the curve back down. We are still witnessing very high transmission of the virus which is putting pressure on our healthcare workers, our continuing care facilities, and our hospitals."