Five new COVID-19 cases are popping up across the RMWB.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, announced on Thursday 427 new cases across the province – the highest daily count since the start of the pandemic.

This raises the provincial total to 23,829 with 3,519 cases currently active.

Locally, Fort McMurray saw three new cases and one additional recovery, putting the active total at 30.

The rural areas saw two additional cases with the active total now at five.

These cases are reportedly in Fort Chipewyan as Peter Powder, Chief of the Mikisew Cree First Nation, announced on Wednesday these individuals contracted the virus after leaving the community for essential travel.

They are the first two in the rural hamlet to contract the virus. Both are in the same household and are currently in quarantine.

Powder adds they’ve already notified the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation and Mtis Local #125.

In total, 358 individuals across the RMWB – 294 in Fort McMurray and 64 in the rural areas – have recovered.

They are among the 19,734 who’ve recovered across the province. This represents under 83 per cent of reported cases.

Meanwhile, there were no new deaths from COVID-19 in Alberta over the past 24 hours – keeping the total at 296.

One of the deaths throughout the pandemic was in Fort McMurray.