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The 406 new cases mark the first time Alberta has exceeded 400 infections in a single day. It continues an acceleration in confirmed COVID-19 cases in Alberta that began in early October, signalling a second wave of the virus.

On Tuesday, Alberta chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw warned Alberta was entering the “danger zone” with new cases continuing to tick upward.

“What we know from looking around at other jurisdictions is that when COVID-19 starts to spread widely, it can very quickly escalate,” Hinshaw said. “Right now, we are in a danger zone where the coming weeks will really tell that story about whether we are able collectively to bend that curve.”

The messaging stands in stark contrast with recent comments from Kenney, who has stressed the importance of Albertans continuing to adhere to public-health guidelines and urged a “responsible use of freedom” to prevent a second economic shutdown.

For a third-straight day Wednesday, Alberta hit a new high for active COVID-19 cases, jumping to 3,372 infections from 3,203 Tuesday. Before this week, Alberta had not exceeded 3,000 active cases since April 30.

More than one-third of active infections (35 per cent) are in the AHS Calgary zone, while just under half are in the Edmonton zone. The two urban centres continued to drive COVID-19 growth Wednesday, accounting for 367 of the 406 new cases.

Hinshaw has said some growth in the cities is the result of outbreaks linked to social gatherings, including a Calgary wedding now linked to at least 49 cases.