CALGARY -- A patient at Calgary's Peter Lougheed Centre is among the 31 new deaths reported by the province Saturday, a new record number of fatalities from COVID-19.

Alberta Health says the victim, a woman in her 70s, died Jan. 5, but her death had not been confirmed as being from COVID-19 until now. It's not known what her comorbidities are.

The province also reported 989 new COVID cases from 13,540 tests conducted on Jan. 8.

The number of deaths reported by the province Saturday is the largest daily total throughout the pandemic, even though 21 of those deaths occurred in the past week and three from Jan. 8.

"We have committed to sharing information as soon as it is available," said Alberta Health's assistant director of communications Tom McMillan in an email. "There can be a delay in a death being reported to Alberta Health or in a death being confirmed post-mortem as having COVID-19 as a contributing cause."

There are active outbreaks at four hospitals in the Calgary zone, including three in the city of Calgary, Alberta Health Services reported Friday.

There are two units on outbreak status at the Foothills Medical Centre and 14 patient and three health-care workers have active cases. AHS says two deaths have been attributed to the outbreak that was declared on Dec. 29, 2020.

At the Peter Lougheed Centre, there are currently six units listed as outbreaks, including:

  • A pulmonary unit (declared Nov. 21, 2020) – three patients, one death;
  • A medicine/geriatrics unit (declared Dec. 10, 2020) – two patients, two health-care workers;
  • A seasonal influenza unit (declared Dec. 14, 2020) – two health-care workers;
  • A mental health unit (declared Dec. 17, 2020) – one patient;
  • The emergency department (declared Dec. 19, 2020) – two patients, 24 health-care workers and;
  • A hematology unit (declared Dec. 23, 2020) – four patients.

AHS says there are also two units on outbreak status at South Health Campus (two patients and four health-care workers sick) and one unit on outbreak at the Strathmore Hospital (four patients sick).