On March 5, Alberta has its first presumptive COVID-19 case. By March 18, it was 119 confirmed cases.
Alberta now has COVID-19 cases in all zones: 83 in the Calgary zone, 27 in the Edmonton zone, four in the North zone, three in the Central zone and two in the South zone.
Officials said seven of the cases are suspected to have come about by community transmission.
Six individuals are receiving treatment in hospital and three are in Intensive Care Units.
Albertans are practising social distancing, but how long is this pandemic going to last?
Alberta's chief medical officer of health, Deena Hinshaw, and Premier Jason Kenney said yesterday that we might not reach the peak of the outbreak for weeks.
They said the drastic measures Albertans are using to curb the spread of the virus may be needed until the end of May.
"I can't say that with absolutely certainty," said Kenney at a media conference.
"Let's hope we get some very lucky breaks. Let's hope we reach the peak earlier and it affects fewer people than we are projecting.
"But, to be realistic, based on the velocity of this disease around the world, we can expect this to pose a very real threat to public safety for at least the next two or three months."
Hinshaw said the province has estimated mid-April for the peak by using data gathered from other countries that have been hit harder and earlier.
The projections assume that Alberta is able to control the spread of the virus, Hinshaw said, and officials expect聽another wave of the illness in the fall.
Prime minister Justin Trudeau was asked about the projection at his press conference this morning (March 20).
He said the country was "following the best recommendations of experts.
"We've heard from weeks to months," said Trudeau.
"We know this is a difficult and extraordinary time in which Canadians are taking difficult and extraordinary measures and we will continue to do that until Canadians are safe."
