Hinshaw: Vaccine benefits far outweigh the risks

She wants Albertans to understand their options and make an informed choice, also saying that Canada’s review process prior to licensing a vaccine is among the best in the world.

“Both of the vaccines we are using went through a rigorous testing and Health Canada approval process.”

So far, 95,243 doses have been given to residents and staff in long-term care and designated supportive living facilities, respiratory therapists, paramedics, those who work in ICUs and emergency departments, and health-care workers in medical, surgical and COVID-19 units.

There are 34 active cases of COVID-19 in Medicine Hat on Wednesday.

The city now has had 520 total cases – the 34 active, 474 recovered and there have been 12 deaths, one new today.

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

Across the province, there are 10,565 active cases, down 541 from Tuesday, and 106,387 recovered cases, up 1,179.

Alberta’s total number of COVID-19 cases from the start of the pandemic is 118,436.

There are 669 new cases in the province today.

There are now 744 Albertans in hospital with COVID-19, 124 of which are in ICU, and 1,484 deaths.

The province completed 14,888 tests in the past 24 hours.

The provincial positivity rate is 4.5 per cent.

As of Jan. 19, 95,243 doses of vaccine have been administered in Alberta.

Hinshaw said the positivity rate below five per cent is encouraging and says the data shows the restrictions put in place in November and December have “achieved so far their intended outcome.”

She added what is critical now is that enough measures are maintained for those numbers to continue dropping, as hospitalization and ICU admissions remain high.

She also addressed reports she’s received of employers asking those identified by contact tracers as close contacts of a positive case to return to work as soon as they’ve received a negative result, ignoring the mandatory 14-day quarantine.

“Not only is this the wrong thing to do to protect each other, it is also illegal,” she said.

A negative test is only a snapshot of a particular point in time, she added, and some people can become sick up to 14 days after exposure.

She also addressed how this week’s increase to outdoor gathering limits impacts gatherings at continuing care facilities.

Operators can use “outdoor designated spaces on-site for outdoors visits with a maximum of five people, including the resident.”

If the resident can and does go off-site, the outdoor gathering can include up to nine other people. Residents who do go off-site may be asked to follow additional precautions on return, she cautioned and recommended that precautions such as masking and physical distancing are followed during visits.

Hinshaw said sector-specific data on the reasoning behind which restrictions are eased and when will be made available in the coming weeks.

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

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.

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 35 active cases among 68,057 people puts it at a rate of 50.

The County of Newell (98.9), the the MD of Taber (58.3) Lethbridge (138.4) and Lethbridge County (111) are also on the list.

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

There are 5,591 cases in the South Zone. There are 411 active cases and 5,109 recovered. The death total in the zone is at 68.

An AHS spokesperson told CHAT News on Monday that the AHS South Zone had had 27 COVID-19 positive individuals in hospital. At the time there were nine at Medicine Hat Regional Hospital, with three of those in the ICU. Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge had 16 inpatients, with two of those in the ICU. The Cardston Health Centre and Pincher Creek Health Centre had one inpatient each.

Seven Persons School is on “Alert” status, with two positive cases. One was confirmed on Jan. 17 and one on Jan. 15. Students and staff have been identified as close contacts and placed into quarantine.

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

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

The County of Forty Mile has 116 total cases. There are two active cases, 112 recovered and there have been two deaths.

The MD of Taber has 328 total cases — 11 active cases, 311 recovered and there have been six deaths.

Special Areas No. 2 has 39 total cases – four active, 34 recovered and there has been one death.

Brooks has 1,361 total cases — seven active and 1,340 are recovered. Brooks has recorded 14 deaths.

The County of Newell has a total of 153 cases — eight active cases, 143 recovered and there have been two deaths.

The County of Warner has 157 total cases. There are 11 active cases, 144 are recovered cases and there have been two deaths in the county.

The City of Lethbridge has a total of 1,598 cases. There are 137 active cases, 1,450 recovered and there have been 11 deaths. Lethbridge County has 491 cases, 28 active cases, 456 recovered and there have been seven deaths.

The figures on alberta.ca are “up-to-date as of end of day Jan. 19, 2021.”

Read the full Jan. 20 update from the province here.

Saskatchewan confirmed 234 new cases of COVID-19 in the Wednesday update.

Saskatchewan has a total of 21,112 cases, 3,702 considered active. There are 17,184 recovered cases and there have been 229 COVID-19 deaths in the province.

Saskatchewan has delivered 27,233 doses of vaccine.

by Chris Brown

Hinshaw: Vaccine benefits far outweigh the risks

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