Alberta surpasses 17,000 COVID-19 cases with 143 new infections

EDMONTON -- Alberta Health reported 143 new cases of COVID-19 and two more deaths on Wednesday.

Active infections decreased to 1,520 across the province, but increased to 821 in the Edmonton zone.

The city of Edmonton has 729 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and remains under the province's watch with an active case rate of 71.4 per 100,000 residents.

Alberta's death toll reached 260 in Wednesday's update. The victims were a woman in her 80s in the Calgary zone connected to the Foothills Medical Centre outbreak, and a woman in her 70s in the North zone linked to the Heimstaed Seniors Lodge outbreak.

There are 59 patients in hospital, including 13 in ICU.

The province has reported 17,032 cases and 15,252 recoveries.