By Chris Brown

Cohort clarity

Two new cases of COVID-19 in Medicine Hat, nine active cases now in city

Sep 21, 2020 | 3:43 PM

There are two new cases of COVID-19 in Medicine Hat, bringing the total number of cases to 81.

As of Monday’s update, there are 70 recovered cases, nine active and two deaths.

Across the province, there are 358 new cases in Monday’s update – 119 on Sept. 18, 102 on Sept. 19 and 137 on Sept. 20.

The total number of COVID-19 cases across the province stands at 16,739. There are 1,459 active cases, up 35 from Friday, and 15,024 recovered cases, up 322.

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There are currently 51 Albertans in hospital, nine in ICU. There have been 256 deaths, up one from Friday.

The province conducted 34,959 tests in the past 72 hours – 12,451 on Sept. 18, 9,748 on Sept. 19 and 12,760 on Sept. 20.

The number of cases in hospital and ICU is an increase from Friday’s update but Dr. Deena Hinshaw said Monday it is well within the health system’s capacity.

“It is good news that our hospitalization numbers have been generally declining or stable since peaking at 93 hospitalizations on July 22,” she said.

The chief medical officer of health sought to provide clarity on what constitutes a cohort. She said a cohort is “a small group who’s members can regularly interact without staying two metres apart. You core cohort is your family or household group and up to 15 other people.”

“This should be the same 15 people at all times, who are all committed to this cohort. And even in the cohort anyone who is sick should not have close interactions with others.”

“Co-workers or attendees of the same church are not considered cohorts, and should maintain distance and public health precautions in their interactions,” Hinshaw emphasized.

Other cohorts will vary depending on the activity, she said, adding sports teams are another version of a cohort, and people you interact with at a child care setting are another.

Hinshaw also said as the number of cohorts are person has increases the chances of exposure also increases.

“Each family and team must determine what level of risk is right for them and what level of risk they deem to be acceptable.”

She said there is currently no plan to raise the sports cohort limit from its current maximum of 50.

There are now 19 schools in the province where outbreaks have been declared. Alberta Health’s threshold for declaring an outbreak in school is two cases being in a school while infectious within 14 days. Two schools are in “Watch” status – St. Wilfrid Elementary School in Calgary and Vimy Ridge Academy in Edmonton.

No local schools are classified as having outbreaks on the provincial website.

The website Support Our Students is tracking instances of cases in schools across the province. The only local school on the list remains Ecole St. John Paul II, which was added in late August.

In the South Zone, there are 1,810 total cases. There are 45 active cases and 1,740 recovered. There is currently one COVID-19 case in hospital in the South Zone, which is in the ICU, and the zone total remains at 25 deaths.

Cypress County has totaled 31 cases – all recovered.

The County of Forty Mile has 35 total cases, an increase of six since Friday. There are 11 active cases and the rest are recovered.

The MD of Taber has 42 total cases — three active cases and the rest recovered.

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

Brooks has 1,132 total cases —1,117 are recovered and six are active. Brooks has recorded nine deaths.

The County of Newell has a total of 32 cases — 30 recovered and there have been two deaths.

The County of Warner has 62 total cases. There is one active case, 60 are recovered cases and there has been one death in the county.

The City of Lethbridge has a total of 169 cases. There are four active cases, 163 recovered and there have been two deaths. Lethbridge County has 45 cases, seven active cases and the rest recovered.

The figures on alberta.ca are “up-to-date as of end of day Sept. 20, 2020.”

You can read the full Sept. 21 update from the province here.

Saskatchewan reported 38 new cases of COVID-19 over the weekend, five in the South Zones.

Saskatchewan has a total of 1,814 cases, 145 considered active. There are 1,645 recovered cases and there have been 24 COVID-19 deaths in the province.