Medicine Hat’s active COVID-19 case count doubles to four

There are currently 46 Albertans in hospital, nine in ICU. There are 242 deaths, no change from Wednesday.

The province conducted 9,547 tests in the past 24 hours.

As daily new cases continue to be in the triple digits, Dr. Deena Hinshaw announced changes to the public health guidance on casinos and racing entertainment centres and continuing care facilities.

Hinshaw says table games are now permitted at casinos and racing entertainment centres, “provided physical distancing measures, barriers and other health measures are in place, as outlined in the guidance online.”

An updated framework on continuing care facilities will come into effect in two weeks. A new health order was signed on Thursday.

Hinshaw reiterated that residents in continuing care facilities are most at risk of severe outcomes and that while the strict restrictions place don such facilities in the spring helped limit the spread but also took a different toll on other aspects of residents’ health.

She said a balance must be found between protecting people and supporting the overall health and wellbeing of those same people.

“These residents need joy, hope and connection, just like the rest of us,” the chief medical officer of health said.

Hinshaw said outbreaks in the facilities have been limited and she has heard from residents, operators and families seeking greater adaptability when risks are low.

“Operators can now shift to a risk-based approach when residents return after being away from the site,” says Hinshaw. The previous approached used the measure of time the resident was off-site to determine the necessary quarantine time. A 14-day quarantine was required for any overnight off-site team.

The requirements on quarantine are being “adjusted to apply to high-risk outings, independent of the length of time the resident is away. Medium- and low-risk outings will have less stringent precautions applied, such as continuous masking or residents once they have returned, or enhanced symptom monitoring.”

Hinshaw added facilities can now choose to allow volunteers back on-site to alleviate staffing challenges with some of the requirements.

“We are increasing flexibility when risk is low, but not decreasing the overall protections in place,” she said.

Measures such as staff and visitor symptom and known-exposure screening and restrictions on staff working at more than one facility remain in place.

As students return to school this week, Hinshaw said parents are putting their trust in school and health authorities, other parents and their children that they are taking appropriate precautions for the safety of everyone.

“We also must trust ourselves as parents that we have made the right choices for our own situations and that we continue to make the right choices to protect their school, and our community,” she said.

She also highlighted the importance of parents keeping children home and staying home themselves if sick.

“I know that this will be difficult for many parents and that for some staying home may create difficult financial, personal and other stresses. I also know we are all longing to get back how things used to be. But COVID-19 is not going anywhere,” Hinshaw said.

“We all have no choice but to work together and support each other in the days ahead.”

In the South Zone, there are 1,755 total cases. There are 35 active cases and 1,695 recovered. There are currently no COVID-19 cases in hospital in the South Zone, and no new zone deaths in Thursday’s update.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw will provide her next update on Friday.

Cypress County has totaled 31 cases – all recovered.

The County of Forty Mile has 24 total cases, three new in Tuesday’s update. There are four active cases and the rest recovered.

The MD of Taber has 38 total cases — one active, 37 recovered.

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

Brooks has 1,128 total cases —1,117 are recovered and two are active. Brooks has recorded nine deaths.

The County of Newell has a total of 32 cases — one active, 29 recovered and there have been two deaths.

The County of Warner has 59 total cases. Of those, 58 are recovered cases and there has been one death in the county.

The City of Lethbridge has a total of 159 cases. There are 16 active cases, 141 recovered and there have been two deaths. Lethbridge County has 35 cases, five active cases and the rest recovered.

Read the full Sept. 3 update from the province here.

The figures on alberta.ca are “up-to-date as of end of day Sept. 2, 2020.”

Saskatchewan reported 10 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, one in the South Zones.

Saskatchewan has a total of 1,634 cases, 36 considered active. There are 1,574 recovered cases and there have been 24 COVID-19 deaths in the province.

by Chris Brown

Medicine Hat’s active COVID-19 case count doubles to four

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