Medicine Hat stays at three active cases, Hinshaw worried about the impact of COVID-19 shame

There are 43 Albertans currently in hospital due to COVID-19, 12 of which are in ICU. There have been a total of 228 deaths, up one from Wednesday.

The province conducted 9,281 tests in the past 24 hours.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw began her Thursday update telling Albertans she is worried about a common theme she has been hearing about over the past few weeks as reported by her contact tracers who are talking with people who test positive and their contacts: Shame.

“Shame is an emotion that drives people to hide or to cover up what they are ashamed of. It can be triggered by anger or judgment from others or by an individual’s own belief about what happened,” said the chief medical officer of health.

“The more that COVID drives shame, the harder it will be to prevent, as people will be less willing to be forthcoming about the symptoms, less willing to be tested, and less willing to be honest with contact tracers about their activities.”

Hinshaw says we need to fight shame with compassion.

“Let’s be honest. Living with COVID-19 is really hard. We are all tired. It is easy to be frustrated or even angry if our lives are disrupted further by an exposure to COVID from someone in our circle. And yet many of the cases we are investigating have been triggered by a series of unfortunate events,” she said.

She acknowledges every is trying their best to stop the spread of the virus, but one slip at the wrong time and place can lead to an outbreak.

“We must be compassionate with those who test positive. We must support those who have even mild symptoms to stay home and away from others without shame. Our success depends on this.”

As the first day of school draws closer, the province’s top doctor continued to encourage teachers and school staff to get tested before the start of the school year.

Hinshaw said the advice she has provided to the government is based on what has and hasn’t worked around the world and on what science and medicine have learned about children and their experiences with the COVID-19 virus.

“Some may wonder why we would reopen schools at all during a pandemic. My answer is that we must look at the overall health of our population and everything that contributes to health. We cannot simply focus on COVID-19 alone, as there are other risks that must be factored in.”

She said we must learn how to live with the virus and find the right balance between preventing uncontrolled COVID spread and preventing the harms that come from shutting down essential parts of our society.

Hinshaw says she monitors new evidence as it emerges and will “adapt my advice on the school re-entry plan as needed” and that she will be sending her children back to school in September.

“But I want to be clear there is no wrong decision about a return to in-school or online learning. Each parent is uniquely positioned to make the best decision for their family,” she said. “Regardless of your choice, taking precautions is our new normal for all ages, including our children.”

She announced updated, detailed guidance is posted on the planned response to any students or staff who have symptoms in schools, and what protocols will be followed if COVID cases are identified in a school.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw’s next in-person update will be on Monday.

The South Zone has a total of 1,720 cases —1,666 recovered and 31 active.

There are three people in the zone in hospital, two of which are in ICU, and there have been 23 deaths.

Cypress County has totalled 31 cases – all recovered.

The County of Forty Mile has 20 total cases, one active case and 19 recovered.

The MD of Taber has 37 total cases — two active and 35 recovered.

Special Areas No. 2 has 13 total cases, all of which are recovered.

Total case numbers are lower than previously shown on the geospatial map. Dr. Hinshaw has previously noted that cases are sometimes moved between zones as more information about the patient is learned.

Brooks has 1,127 total cases —1,114 are recovered and four active. Brooks has recorded nine deaths. The County of Newell has a total of 30 cases — three active, 26 recovered and one death.

The County of Warner has 59 total cases. There are now 53 recovered cases, five active cases and one death in the county.

The City of Lethbridge has a total of 143 cases. Of those, six are listed as active and 135 recovered and there have been two deaths there. Lethbridge County has 30 cases, two active cases and 28 recovered.

The figures on alberta.ca are “up-to-date as of end of day Aug. 19, 2020.”

Read the full Aug. 20 update from the province here.

Saskatchewan reported four new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, three of them in the South Zone.

Saskatchewan has a total of 1,590 cases, 149 considered active. There are 1,419 recovered cases and there have been 22 COVID-19 deaths in the province.

by Chris Brown

Medicine Hat stays at three active cases, Hinshaw worried about the impact of COVID-19 shame

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