Record daily number of COVID-19 cases in Alberta

Alberta’s total number of COVID-19 cases from the start of the pandemic is 81,986.

The province completed 20,416 tests in the past 24 hours.

The provincial positivity rate is 8.0 per cent.

Earlier on Monday during a news conference about Alberta’s vaccine distribution plan, the province’s chief medical officer of health announced 1,887 new cases of COVID-19 were identified over the past 24 hours.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw said there are now 716 Albertans in hospital due to COVID-19, 136 of which are in ICU. Fifteen more COVID-19 deaths were reported by Hinshaw, and the death toll is now at 733.

With reproductive values in Edmonton at 1.0, in Calgary at 0.92 and at 1.01 in the rest of the province, Hinshaw said it appears the cases plateaued over the week.

A reproductive value of one shows that each person with the virus is, on average, infecting one other person.

She said a plateau is better than an increase, but it is not enough and that a single week’s r-value does not indicate a trend.

“R is also not useful when looked at alone,” said Hinshaw. “We also need to look at our new daily case numbers, which remain high.”

“What we need to achieve together is several weeks of an R-value well below one, with a corresponding decrease in new case numbers,” she said. “We are continuing to see growing hospitalizations and ICU admissions, which are straining our health system. We all must keep doing our part to limit in-person interactions whenever possible.”

The first shipment of 3,900 COVID-19 vaccines is expected in Alberta Tuesday and another 25,300 doses is expected next week.

Hinshaw said vaccination will be offered to all nut will not be required, even among health-care workers.

“It’s their choice and there will be no sanctions against them.”

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 115.9 on 13 active cases is also on the list. The County of Forty Mile with a rate of 46.6 on three active cases has fallen below the “Watch” list threshold.

Brooks (165.8 rate), the County of Newell (197.7), Lethbridge (229.3) Lethbridge County (222) and the MD of Taber (185.5) are also on the list.

All those regions are also in enhanced status.

There are 4,549 cases in the South Zone. There are 583 active cases and 3,915 recovered. In Monday’s update, there are 24 Albertans in hospital with COVID-19, four of which are in ICU. The death total in the zone is at 51.

On Friday, an AHS spokesperson told CHAT News AHS South Zone currently has 22 COVID-19 positive individuals in hospital. There are eight at Medicine Hat Regional Hospital, with one of those in the ICU. Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge has 14 inpatients, with three in the ICU.

On Monday there are 298 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 and at Holy Family Academy.

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

Cypress County has totaled 113 cases – 13 active cases and the rest recovered.

The County of Forty Mile has 112 total cases. There are three active cases, 107 recovered and there have been two deaths.

The MD of Taber has 290 total cases — 35 active cases, 250 recovered and there have been five deaths.

Special Areas No. 2 has 31 total cases – seven active, 23 recovered and there has been one death.

Brooks has 1,317 total cases — 32 active and 1,271 are recovered. Brooks has recorded 14 deaths.

The County of Newell has a total of 133 cases — 16 active cases, 115 recovered and there have been two deaths.

The County of Warner has 138 total cases. There are 11 active cases, 125 are recovered cases and there have been two deaths in the county.

The City of Lethbridge has a total of 1,262 cases. There are 227 active cases, 1,028 recovered and there have been seven deaths. Lethbridge County has 394 cases, 56 active cases, 335 recovered and there have been three deaths.

The figures on alberta.ca are “up-to-date as of end of day Dec. 13, 2020.”

Read the full Dec. 14 update from the province here.

Saskatchewan confirmed 765 new cases of COVID-19 since Friday, 51 in the South Zones.

Saskatchewan has a total of 12,238 cases, 4,380 considered active. There are 7,767 recovered cases and there have been 91 COVID-19 deaths in the province.

Saskatchewan is introducing new public health measures this week.

Starting Thursday only immediate household members can gather inside the same home, with a few exceptions, and outdoor gatherings will be limited to 10 people.

On Saturday, casinos and bingo halls must close, and personal care services such as hair salons will be limited to 50 per cent of capacity.

As of Dec. 25, retail stores must reduce their capacity to half and large retailers will be restricted to 25 per cent.

The new measures will be in place until Jan.15.

by Chris Brown

Record daily number of COVID-19 cases in Alberta

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