Active COVID-19 cases in Medicine Hat stays at 36

She noted that even with a fully functioning system there are always “a portion of cases usually around 30 per cent, where the source of exposure can’t be identified.”

Hinshaw also announced 38 deaths reported to Alberta Health in the past 24 hours, a new daily record.

There are 36 active cases of COVID-19 in Medicine Hat on Tuesday.

The city now has had 498 total cases – the 36 active, 452 recovered and there have been 10 deaths.

There are four new cases in the city in Tuesday’s update and also four recoveries.

Across the province, there are 13,220 active cases, down 697 from Monday, and 98,178 recovered cases, up 1,311.

Alberta’s total number of COVID-19 cases from the start of the pandemic is 112,743.

There are 652 new cases in the province today.

There are now 819 Albertans in hospital with COVID-19, 132 of which are in ICU, and 1,345 deaths.

The province completed 9,336 tests in the past 24 hours.

The provincial positivity rate is 6.8 per cent.

As of Jan. 11, 52,318 doses of vaccine have been administered in Alberta.

The number of daily tests has been below 10,000 for the past two days, something Hinshaw was unable to explain but said that they are investigating it.

She said testing policies and eligibility have not changed and she encouraged any Albertans who have a reason to be tested do so.

She also said that since it’s not two weeks since New Year’s full holiday data is not available.

“But overall it does seem that in this province we have avoided that acceleration that some other provinces and some other places around the world have seen. What we do need to do though is build on that success.”

Hinshaw said she wants to see everyone work together to prevent deaths, hospitalizations and further strain on the health system.

She said that includes business owners who are opening in the face of public health measures.

“I recognize that business owners are being impacted by the restrictions and that these are causing hardships for many individuals,” she said. “I also recognize that if we do not have an approach that involves all of our community members working together to prevent spread, we risk having more deaths and increasing that burden on our health-care system.”

Hinshaw’s next in-person update will be on Wednesday.

Medicine Hat and the entire province remains in enhanced status, in which risk levels require enhanced public health measures to control the spread and are informed by local context.

Medicine Hat remains on the provincial “Watch” list, though is only two cases above the threshold.

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 36 active cases among 68,057 people puts it at a rate of 52.9.

Brooks (72.6 rate), The County of Newell (86.5), Lethbridge (110.1) Lethbridge County (146.7) are also on the list.

Cypress County, the County of Forty Mile and MD of Taber are no longer on the “Watch” list.

There are 5,300 cases in the South Zone. There are 308 active cases and 4,927 recovered. The death total in the zone is at 65.

An AHS spokesperson told CHAT News on Monday there were 20 COVID-19 positive individuals in hospital in the South Zone. There were nine at Medicine Hat Regional Hospital, with three of those in the ICU. Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge also had nine inpatients, with three of those in the ICU. The Brooks Health Centre and Pincher Creek Health Centre had one inpatient each.

School outbreaks will begin to be reported again this week following the return to in-person classes on Monday.

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

Cypress County has totaled 144 cases – five active cases and the rest recovered.

The County of Forty Mile has 116 total cases. There are three active cases, 111 recovered and there have been two deaths.

The MD of Taber has 318 total cases — eight active cases, 304 recovered and there have been six deaths.

Special Areas No. 2 has 40 total cases – five active, 34 recovered and there has been one death.

Brooks has 1,357 total cases — 14 active and 1,329 are recovered. Brooks has recorded 14 deaths.

The County of Newell has a total of 146 cases — seven active cases, 137 recovered and there have been two deaths.

The County of Warner has 150 total cases. There are seven active cases, 141 are recovered cases and there have been two deaths in the county.

The City of Lethbridge has a total of 1,517 cases. There are 109 active cases, 1,398 recovered and there have been 10 deaths. Lethbridge County has 466 cases, 37 active cases, 422 recovered and there have been seven deaths.

The figures on alberta.ca are “up-to-date as of end of day Jan. 11, 2021.”

Read the full Jan. 12 update from the province here.

Saskatchewan confirmed 248 new cases of COVID-19 in the Tuesday update.

Saskatchewan has a total of 18,770 cases, 3,752 considered active. There are 14,814 recovered cases and there have been 204 COVID-19 deaths in the province.

Saskatchewan has delivered 9,880 doses of vaccine.

by Chris Brown

Active COVID-19 cases in Medicine Hat stays at 36

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