What you need to know about COVID-19 in Alberta on Thursday, May 28

There were 679 active cases of COVID-19 in Alberta on Wednesday — the lowest daily number since March 30.

The latest:

• Alberta confirmed 25 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, and two additional deaths.
• There were 679 active cases of COVID-19 in Alberta on Wednesday — the lowest daily number since March 30.
• Alberta's sexual violence helpline saw a 57 per cent increase in calls during the first month of the pandemic and a 42 per cent increase during the first two months.
• The Alberta government has scaled back the provincial COVID-19 news conferences it had been offering every weekday and is now holding them on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. 

What you need to know today in Alberta:

Edmonton businesses struggling to survive the COVID-19 pandemic can apply for municipal assistance through a new program approved on Wednesday. 

Alberta reported Wednesday its first possible case of a new condition called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C. 

Alberta's chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, said the syndrome is similar to Kawasaki disease and responds to treatments such as steroids.

Alberta also reported its first possible case of a new condition called Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome in Children. 2:19

Here's the regional breakdown of cases on Wednesday:

• Calgary zone: 531 cases.
• South zone: 71 cases.
• Edmonton zone: 52 cases.
• North zone: 21 cases.
• Central zone: 2 cases.
• Unknown zone: 2 cases.

There are 43 people in hospital and four in intensive care. A total of 245,949 tests have been completed.

What you need to know today in Canada:

Critics are calling on the Ontario government to be more transparent with COVID-19 data. On Wednesday, Toronto Public Health bowed to public pressure and released COVID-19 case numbers for all of the city's postal codes — information that may well spur more residents to get tested. This came just one day after Ontario Premier Doug Ford had rejected calls for a similar provincewide disclosure.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will cohost a major United Nations conference Thursday aimed at developing a co-ordinated global response to mitigate the devastating social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of 7:30 a.m. ET on Thursday, Canada had 87,519 confirmed and presumptive coronavirus cases, with 46,177 considered resolved or recovered. 

A CBC News tally of deaths based on provincial data, regional health information and CBC's reporting stood at 6,858. Public health officials have cautioned that recorded figures don't capture information on people who have not been tested and cases that are still under investigation.

Self-assessment and supports:

Alberta Health Services has an online self-assessment tool that you can use to determine if you have symptoms of COVID-19.

The province says Albertans who have returned to Canada from other countries must self-isolate. Unless your situation is critical and requires a call to 911, Albertans are advised to call Health Link at 811 before visiting a physician, hospital or other health-care facility.

If you have symptoms, even mild, you are to self-isolate for 10 days from the onset of symptoms. 

You can find Alberta Health Services' latest coronavirus updates here.

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The province also operates a confidential mental health support line at 1-877-303-2642 and addiction help line at 1-866-332-2322, available from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week. 

Online resources are available for advice on handling stressful situations and ways to talk with children.

There is a 24-hour family violence information line at 310-1818 to get anonymous help in more than 170 languages, and Alberta's One Line for Sexual Violence is available at 1-866-403-8000, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

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