By Chris Brown

Seven new cases in city; one at Herald School

Shandro: Alberta COVID-19 vaccinations to start next week; active cases in city up by two

Dec 9, 2020 | 3:39 PM

Health Minister Tyler Shandro says COVID-19 vaccinations in Alberta will begin on Dec. 16.

The first 3,900 doses will go to ICU doctors and nurses, respiratory therapists and long-term care workers throughout the province.

“These staff are exhausted and they’ve put themselves at risk for 10 months. They need support and they need to know we’re there for them,” said Shandro.

Staff from two hospitals in each of Calgary and Edmonton will be the first to get the vaccine.

Shandro hopes the vaccinations will show the health-care workers, their patients and all Albertans that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

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The vaccine can only be administered at the site of delivery in this first round, so it can’t be delivered to continuing care facilities.

The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was approved by Health Canada today.

There are 91 active cases of COVID-19 in Medicine Hat.

The city now has had 341 total cases – the 91 active, 245 recovered and there have been five deaths.

There are seven new cases in the city in Wednesday’s update.

That includes an individual with a positive test result at Herald School.

The public school system says all close contacts have been identified and are self isolating.

Across the province, there are 20,199 active cases, down 189 from Tuesday, and 52,636 recovered cases, up 1,636.

Alberta’s total number of COVID-19 cases from the start of the pandemic is 73,488.

There are 1,460 new cases in the province today.

There are now 685 Albertans in hospital with COVID-19, 121 of which are in ICU, and 683 deaths.

The province completed 16,792 tests in the past 24 hours.

The provincial positivity rate is 8.9 per cent.

Chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said that while the arrival of a vaccine is positive news, “it will be some time before we can immunize most Albertans. Until then we must be the vaccine for each other.”

She also advised Albertans that they should continue to seek medical attention, saying that avoiding a necessary visit to a doctor can lead to more serious problems.

“COVID-19 has put a lot of things on hold, but your health should not be one of them,” she said. “the health system in Alberta remains a safe place to go if you need help.”

She urged Albertans to listen to their bodies and seek medical help if needed.

As well, Hinshaw clarified rules announced on Tuesday on outdoor social gatherings with anyone outside your household, which are prohibited.

“This includes getting together in a park or around a bonfire. We have not changed people’s ability to participate in outdoor sports or recreation in groups of up to 10 people. This reflects the ability of people to do these activities while keep distanced and wanting to keep options open for physical fitness in outdoor settings.”

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 91 active cases among 68,057 people puts it at a rate of 133.7.

Cypress County with a rate of 98.1 on 11 active cases and the County of Forty Mile with a rate of 186.2 on 12 active cases are also on the list.

Brooks (139.9 rate), the County of Newell (259.5), Lethbridge (249.5) Lethbridge County (257.6) and the MD of Taber (302.2) are also on the list.

All those regions are also in enhanced status.

There are 4,339 cases in the South Zone. There are 633 active cases and 3,656 recovered. There are 19 Albertans in the South Zone due to COVID-19, three of which are in the ICU. The death total in the zone is at 50.

On Monday, a spokesperson said AHS South Zone currently has 13 COVID-19 positive individuals in hospital. There are seven at Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge, with three of those in the ICU. Medicine Hat Regional Hospital has six inpatients, zero in the ICU.

On Wednesday there are 249 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, Crescent Heights High School is listed as having an outbreak.

In Brooks, an outbreak is listed at Christ the King Academy.

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

Cypress County has totaled 127 cases – 11 active cases and the rest recovered.

The County of Forty Mile has 112 total cases. There are 12 active cases, 98 recovered and there have been two deaths.

The MD of Taber has 283 total cases — 47 active cases, 222 recovered and there have been four deaths.

Special Areas No. 2 has 28 total cases – eight active, 18 recovered and there has been one death.

Brooks has 1,300 total cases — 27 active and 1,257 are recovered. Brooks has recorded 14 deaths.

The County of Newell has a total of 120 cases — 21 active cases, 97 recovered and there have been two deaths.

The County of Warner has 137 total cases. There are 27 active cases, 108 are recovered cases and there have been two deaths in the county.

The City of Lethbridge has a total of 1,187 cases. There are 247 active cases, 933 recovered and there have been seven deaths. Lethbridge County has 374 cases, 65 active cases, 306 recovered and there have been three deaths.

The figures on alberta.ca are “up-to-date as of end of day Dec. 8, 2020.”

Read the full Dec. 9 update from the province here.

Saskatchewan confirmed 302 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, 12 in the South Zones.

Saskatchewan has a total of 10,899 cases, 4,707 considered active. There are 6,121 recovered cases and there have been 71 COVID-19 deaths in the province.