Dr. Deena Hinshaw during Thursday update. (Photo courtesy of Alberta Government)

By Alex McCuaig

COVID cases in the Hat

One new death, cases up to 102 in the Hat

Nov 26, 2020 | 3:48 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Medicine Hat is reporting a third death linked to COVID-19 and nine new active cases in the city while the local hospital is reporting an outbreak after a patient tested positive for the virus.

Despite the increase in new cases, the six recoveries and single death have seen the number of active cases rise by only two to 102 in the city.

The city now has 240 total cases, 135 recovered and there have been three deaths.

The Medicine Hat Regional Hospital is reporting an outbreak at its 2-North unit which specializes in geriatric acute care after a single positive case was reported.

In her Thursday update, Dr. Deena Hinshaw said reports from CBC connected to private meetings at the provincial emergency operations centre represented a “personal betrayal.

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“And a betrayal of the work our hard-working team has placed in each other.”

During the update, Health Minister Tyler Shandro announced a pilot program for two point-of-care testing kits.

The kits will allow samples to be taken from individuals in the first seven days of showing symptoms and be able to provide results without being sent to a centralized lab.

The pilot program will be introduced in Slave Lake, St. Paul and Bonnyville.

Across the province, there are 14,052 active cases, up 333 from Wednesday, and 36,582 recovered cases, up 734.

Alberta has had 51,878 total cases over the course of the pandemic.

There are now 383 Albertans in hospital with COVID-19, 84 of which are in ICU, and 510 deaths.

The province completed 15,932 tests in the past 24 hours.

Medicine Hat remains on the provincial “Watch” list and is in enhanced status. In enhanced status, risk levels require enhanced public health measures to control the spread and are informed by local context.

Regions are placed on the province’s “Watch” list when they have a rate of more than 50 active cases per 100,000 population. Medicine Hat’s 102 active cases among 68,057 people puts it at a rate of 149.9.

Cypress County with a rate of 249.6 on 28 active cases and the County of Forty Mile with a rate of 325.9 on 21 active cases are also on the list.

Brooks (217.7 rate), the County of Newell (197.9), Lethbridge (197) Lethbridge County (269.5) and the MD of Taber (572.5) are also on the list.

All those regions are also in enhanced status.

There are 3,658 cases in the South Zone. There are 664 active cases and 2,954 recovered. There are currently 21 COVID-19 cases in hospital in the South Zone, six in the ICU. The death total in the zone is at 40.

As of Tuesday, Medicine Hat Regional Hospital has seven COVID-19 patients with two of those in ICU. Chinook Regional Hospital has 15, with three of those in ICU. Brooks Health Centre has three patients.

On Thursday there are 180 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.

In the city, Medicine Hat High School and Prairie Mennonite Alternative School are listed as having outbreaks.

Eastbrook Elementary School in Brooks is on the school “Watch” list while the Brooks Junior High School has an outbreak.

The website Support Our Students is tracking instances of cases in schools across the province.

A positive COVID-19 case was confirmed at Senator Gershaw School in Bow Island, and 16 people are now in quarantine.

Cypress County has totaled 114 cases – 28 active cases and the rest recovered.

The County of Forty Mile has 100 total cases. There are 21 active cases, 78 recovered and there has been one death.

The MD of Taber has 223 total cases — 108 active cases, 113 recovered and there have been two deaths.

Special Areas No. 2 has 18 total cases – one active and the rest recovered.

Brooks has 1,274 total cases — 42 active and 1,220 are recovered. Brooks has recorded 12 deaths.

The County of Newell has a total of 98 cases — 16 active cases, 80 recovered and there have been two deaths.

The County of Warner has 103 total cases. There are 21 active cases, 81 are recovered cases and there has been one death in the county.

The City of Lethbridge has a total of 920 cases. There are 195 active cases, 718 recovered and there have been seven deaths. Lethbridge County has 307 cases, 68 active cases, 237 recovered and there have been two deaths.

The figures on alberta.ca are “up-to-date as of end of day Nov. 25, 2020.”

You can read the full Nov. 26 update from the province here.

Saskatchewan confirmed 299 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, 27 in the South Zones.

Saskatchewan has a total of 7,362 cases, 3,146 considered active. There are 4,176 recovered cases and there have been 40 COVID-19 deaths in the province.