Two new cases of COVID-19 in Medicine Hat, active cases down across province

Province-wide there are now 7,781 confirmed cases, 7,096 of which are recovered. The total number of deaths is still 153. There are 37 Albertans currently in hospital due to COVID-19, six of which are in ICU.

More than 6,500 tests were completed in the past 24 hours.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw said 800 samples collected last week weren’t tested until yesterday due to a transportation delay. Six positive tests were in the samples and contact tracing is underway.

“Out of an abundance of caution, a small number of those who tested negative may need to be re-tested if they were symptomatic.

She said the likelihood of an inaccurate result is extremely low but the lab will be contacting those who tested negative and discuss next steps.

Hinshaw also announced an outbreak has been declared at the Misericordia Hospital in Edmonton.

The chief medical officer of health said that outbreak and recent closures of restaurants in Edmonton due to COVID-19 cases are an important reminder that the virus is still here.

“As we move forward we will continue to see some new cases in all sectors, including the foodservice industry. And ongoing use of preventive measures is needed to keep this spread low,” she said.

She added it’s important to take every case seriously but that one case does not mean a business has to close.

“It also does not mean that anyone who visited the same establishment is also at risk,” she said. “Determining who is at risk is something our contact tracing teams closely assess based on when the individual became symptomatic and two days prior to that point. Anyone at risk of exposure is immediately contacted, offered testing and required to isolate.”

Before Hinshaw spoke, Health Minister Tyler Shandro announced a $10 million investment in serological testing.

Serology testing is used to detect the presence of antibodies in a person’s blood, indicating that a person has been exposed to the COVID-19 virus in the past.

Alberta Health is investing in four voluntary public health studies, which will serologically test specific groups of Albertans for the virus. Alberta Health Services (AHS) will also make serology testing available for specific clinical purposes where testing can inform treatment decisions.

“We committed to investing in expanding COVID-19 testing as part of Alberta’s Relaunch Strategy,” said Shandro. “Investing in these focused studies of select groups will help us get a better sense of the situation in Alberta and learn more about the virus. The more we know about how COVID-19 is spreading, the better we can protect Albertans.”

Alberta is the first province in Canada to invest in serological testing.

“We’re now well into stage two of relaunching our economy and relaunching our health system but as Dr. Hinshaw has said the COVID virus is still with us. No region, no community or group is immune.”

Dr. Deena Hinshaw will provide her next in-person update on Thursday.

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

On the map, Brooks is showing 1,119 total cases — three active and 1,107 recovered. Nine deaths have been recorded there.

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, three listed as active and 33 recovered. Lethbridge County has three cases currently, two considered active and one recovered.

Read the full June 23 update from the province here.

by Chris Brown

Two new cases of COVID-19 in Medicine Hat, active cases down across province

Our Community