The number of active COVID-19 cases in the Cochrane-Springbank area has dropped to four from five in today's update on the pandemic.

Provincewide, a total of 31 new cases were confirmed, down from the 49 reported yesterday. That makes a total of 226 cases confirmed on tests conducted on 23,516 people.

Dr. Marcia Johnson, deputy chief medical officer of health, says they suspect up to 16 of the new cases were due to community transmission.

Eleven people are currently hospitalized and six are in intensive care, up by one since yesterday.

There were a total of three recovered cases. 

While the number of confirmed new cases was 18 less than reported yesterday, Dr. Johnson says we shouldn't read too much into the decline.

"It's too soon to draw conclusions based upon one day's data," said Dr. Johnson.

There's been one death attributed to COVID-19 in Alberta.