The latest news on COVID-19 developments in Canada

The latest news on COVID-19 developments in Canada (all times Eastern):

5:55 p.m.

Alberta has recorded 301 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, along with three additional deaths.

According to the province’s website, 29 of its new cases come from the virus variatn first identified in the United Kingdom. 

The province has 4,584 active COVID-19 cases and 250 patients currently hospitalized with the virus.

Alberta is reporting a test positivity rate of four per cent.

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4:20 p.m.

Prince Edward Island is entering a 72-hour lockdown starting at midnight as the province struggles to contain an outbreak of COVID-19.

The short-term public health order was announced this afternoon as officials reported five new infections of the disease, for a total of 17 cases in the past five days.

The new infections include two males, both in their 20s, and three females, two in their 20s and one in her 50s.

Health officials have identified two clusters of COVID-19 in the cities of Summerside and Charlottetown, and say it’s possible the island has community spread of the virus as many infections cannot be linked to travel.

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3 p.m.

Saskatchewan is reporting 141 new COVID-19 cases today, but no new deaths linked to the virus.

The province says its seven-day average of new cases is 146, which it says works out to 11.9 new cases per 100,000 people.

There were 1,662 COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the province on Saturday, raising the total number to 78,226 delivered so far.

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2:05 p.m.

Manitoba is reporting two new deaths in people with COVID-19.

One was in his 80s, the other was in her 90s, and both were from the Winnipeg health region.

The province says there were 50 new COVID-19 cases diagnosed as of 9:30 a.m. this morning.

Most of Manitoba’s new cases are in the Winnipeg and Northern health regions, with each recording 21 new infections.

So far, the province says it has recorded five cases of the virus variant first identified in the United Kingdom.

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1:50 p.m.

Nova Scotia is reporting three new cases of COVID-19 in the province today.

Health officials say the cases are spread out across the province, with the central, eastern and northern regions each recording one new infection.

Officials say one of the cases is a close contact of a previous case, while two are related to travel outside Atlantic Canada.

Nova Scotia has 38 active cases of COVID-19, with two people currently in hospital.

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1 p.m.

Health authorities in Newfoundland and Labrador have diagnosed seven new cases of COVID-19 today, bringing the total number of active infections to 262.

The province says all seven cases are in the Eastern Health region, which includes St. John’s.

Officials say four of the infections were identified in individuals aged 20 to 39, while one patient was under 20 years old, one was aged 40 to 49 and one was aged 50 to 59.

The new cases identified include three females and four males.

Officials say there are currently 10 people in hospital with COVID-19, with six of those patients in intensive care.

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11:30 a.m.

Quebec is reporting 737 new cases of COVID-19 and nine additional deaths due to the virus.

Four of the deaths occurred in the last 24 hours, while the rest took place earlier.

Hospitalizations rose by two to 601. Of those, 117 patients are in intensive care, which is five more than a day earlier.

The province gave 12,469 doses of vaccine on Saturday for a total of more than 432,000 since the pandemic began.

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11 a.m.

Health officials in New Brunswick say a 90-year-old resident of an adult residential facility in Edmundston has died as a result of underlying complications including COVID-19.

The case brings the total number of deaths in the province related to the novel coronavirus disease to 27.

Chief medical officer of health Dr. Jennifer Russell says the loss of another New Brunswicker is a sad moment for the province and is something that never gets easier.

The number of active cases in New Brunswick stands at 38, with one patient currently hospitalized in intensive care.

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10:45 a.m.

Ontario is expanding its list of vaccine recipients to include those experiencing homelessness even as it passes a bleak new milestone in the fight against COVID-19.

The province has officially logged more than 300,000 COVID-19 infections since the start of the pandemic and is just shy of 7,000 total deaths. 

Ontario added 1,062 new infections to its count today for a total of 300,816, while 20 new deaths bring the overall toll to 6,980.

Meanwhile Toronto says it willbegin vaccinating residents of its shelter system this week after getting the green light from the province over the weekend.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 28, 2021.

The Canadian Press