Active COVID-19 cases up again in Medicine Hat

Alberta’s total number of COVID-19 cases from the start of the pandemic is 75,054.

There are 1,566 new cases in the province today.

There are now 682 Albertans in hospital with COVID-19, 124 of which are in ICU, and 666 deaths.

The province completed 16,793 tests in the past 24 hours.

The provincial positivity rate is 9.3 per cent.

The province’s chief medical officer of health asked Albertans to be caring and supportive to each other, especially those people or groups who happen to contract COVID-19 or be identified as close contacts.

She said she and her team continue to hear reports of communities or ethnic groups being stigmatized, and of health-care workers or their families being singled out as uniquely contagious

“We are all equally at-risk. COVID-19 does not care about a person’s occupation, race or religion. It does not respect postal codes or county lines,” said Dr. Deena Hinshaw.

“Stigmatizing groups or individuals does not make you safer,” she added, saying creates additional stress for those fighting COVID-19 and warning it can create a “dangerous us versus them wedge.”

Despite everyone’s best efforts, every one of us has the potential to be exposed, she added.

She also said that every case and every outbreak is identified because people chose to care, not only about themselves but also about the health of their friends and neighbours.

“The responsible thing to do if you’re feeling unwell is to stay home and get tested, she said, and that anyone with a positive test result or who is identified as a close contact of a COVID-19 case should co-operate with health officials and follow their guidance.

That includes adhering to the public health restrictions on all indoor and outdoor social gatherings.

“As social gatherings are a leading cause of transmission, this is our only option,” Hinshaw said.

She encouraged Albertans to share on social how they are celebrating safely, using the hashtag #AlbertaCares, so they can be shared with the province.

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 93 active cases among 68,057 people puts it at a rate of 136.7.

Cypress County with a rate of 107 on 12 active cases and the County of Forty Mile with a rate of 93.1 on six active cases are also on the list.

Brooks (129.6 rate), the County of Newell (271.8), Lethbridge (231.3) Lethbridge County (237.8) and the MD of Taber (265.1) are also on the list.

All those regions are also in enhanced status.

There are 4,378 cases in the South Zone. There are 601 active cases and 3,726 recovered. There are 20 Albertans in the South Zone due to COVID-19, three of which are in the ICU. The death total in the zone is at 51.

On Monday, a spokesperson said AHS South Zone had 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 Thursday there are 275 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 128 cases – 12 active cases and the rest recovered.

The County of Forty Mile has 112 total cases. There are six active cases, 104 recovered and there have been two deaths.

The MD of Taber has 286 total cases — 50 active cases, 231 recovered and there have been five deaths.

Special Areas No. 2 has 28 total cases – eight active, 19 recovered and there has been one death.

Brooks has 1,302 total cases — 25 active and 1,263 are recovered. Brooks has recorded 14 deaths.

The County of Newell has a total of 122 cases — 22 active cases, 98 recovered and there have been two deaths.

The County of Warner has 137 total cases. There are 24 active cases, 111 are recovered cases and there have been two deaths in the county.

The City of Lethbridge has a total of 1,195 cases. There are 229 active cases, 959 recovered and there have been seven deaths. Lethbridge County has 377 cases, 60 active cases, 314 recovered and there have been three deaths.

The figures on alberta.ca are “up-to-date as of end of day Dec. 9, 2020.”

Read the full Dec. 10 update from the province here.

Saskatchewan confirmed 324 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, 25 in the South Zones.

Saskatchewan has a total of 11,223 cases, 4,662 considered active. There are 6,466 recovered cases and there have been 75 COVID-19 deaths in the province.

by Chris Brown

Active COVID-19 cases up again in Medicine Hat

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