The active total of COVID-19 cases in Fort McMurray is once again rising.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, announced on Wednesday 692 new cases over the past 24 hours across Alberta.

There are currently 6,534 active cases across Alberta, while there have been a total of 143,547 positive tests. There are also 285 Albertans in the hospital for the virus, 53 of which are in ICUs.

Locally, Fort McMurray added 15 new cases and one recovery which raises the active total to 49.

This includes two individuals with ties to Father Mercredi and Holy Trinity. Both schools are remaining open at this time.

The rural areas added one new case in the past 24 hours, putting the total of active cases at three.

Wood Buffalo National Park also continues to have one active case.

In total, 1,910 individuals across the RMWB – 1,765 in Fort McMurray, 137 in the rural areas, and nine in Wood Buffalo National Park – have recovered.

They are among the 135,040 who’ve recovered across the province. This represents over 94 per cent of reported cases.

There were also two new deaths from COVID-19 in Alberta over the past 24 hours – raising the total at 1,973.

To date, three individuals in Fort McMurray have died as a result of the virus.