By Chris Brown

Still zero active cases in Hat

Hinshaw: ‘We remain each other’s best defense against the virus’

Jun 19, 2020 | 4:00 PM

Alberta’s active COVID-19 case count has climbed to 512, with another 46 new cases confirmed over the past 24 hours.

Medicine Hat remains at zero active cases and 36 recovered, while Brooks has recorded its second new case in as many days. There are 1,120 total cases in Brooks – three active and 1,108 recovered. There have been nine COVID-19 deaths in Brooks.

One week since the province moved into Stage 2 of relaunch and more people began venturing out into their community, active cases rising is not a surprise, said Dr. Deena Hinshaw.

“Anywhere people are gathered together, not distanced or wearing facemasks, COVID-19 can easily pass from one person to the next,” she said, adding a strong message for workplaces getting back to more normal operations.

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“Workplaces need to consider how they will ensure that distancing and masking when needed are firmly embedded in the return-to-the-workplace strategies,” she said.

Albertans looking out for Albertans is still the top priority, said Hinshaw

“We remain each other’s best defense against the virus.”

“The virus is still here and it is not going anywhere,” said the province’s chief medical officer of health. “Even if we are feeling healthy and symptom-free, we all need to continue operating as though we could spread the virus to others and could catch it from those around us.”

Across the province, there are 7,635 total cases, and 6,961 Albertans have recovered from COVID-19. There are currently 39 Albertans in hospital, six of which are in ICU. The death toll remains at 152.

Alberta completed close to 9,000 tests in the past 24 hours.

In the South Zone, there are 1,288 confirmed cases — 30 active, 1,248 recovered and 10 people have died from COVID-19.

Hinshaw said that even though active cases are rising, two positive trends are that hospitalizations have actually gone down recently and most of the active cases are from a known source.

The lack of outbreaks or significant transmission related to outdoor activities is also a positive, she said.

Other trends are reminders that we have to remain vigilant to prevent future outbreaks, she said.

Locations of new cases have largely shifted from continuing care environments to community settings such as workplaces and large gatherings such as funerals. Other key areas of risk are social gatherings such as birthday parties and work meetings where distancing and masking are not in place.

The total number of cases will likely rise in the coming days, she said.

Hinshaw had a challenge for Albertans this weekend, while repeating her familiar refrain about the what Albertans can do to help prevent the spread.

“Let’s all see it as our personal responsibility to follow the measures and keep others safe,” she said.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw will provide an in-person update on Tuesday. Numbers will be updated online over the weekend.

On May 11, the province began putting a more detailed chart online for each zone.

Cypress County is showing zero active cases and 21 recovered, while the County of Newell is showing zero active cases and 20 recovered.

The County of Forty Mile and Municipal District of Taber each have two confirmed cases both listed as recovered.

Special Areas No. 2 has no cases on the map. There was previously one recovered case and one death attributed to the region.

The City of Lethbridge has 36 cases, six listed as active and 30 recovered. Lethbridge County has three cases currently considered active.

Read the full June 19 update from the province here.