Active COVID-19 cases down by four in Medicine Hat

“What is critical right now is for every single one of us to limit our in-person interactions every single day when we’re in-person present with somebody outside our household – stay distanced, wear a mask when indoors. Those are the kinds of things we can do right now. We don’t have to wait for any additional measures.”

With more vaccines on the way, the eligibility list expanding and the number of doses administered approaching one million, Hinshaw said that vaccines don’t mean that we stop caring about COVID-19.

“These vaccines are remarkably effective at preventing severe illness and death,” she said. “But it takes several weeks for your body to start developing immunity and even then it can not offer 100 per cent protection.”

She compared the vaccine rollout to a barrier protecting Albertans from a flood, saying that until everyone has had a chance to get the vaccine the existing barrier of our collective actions to prevent spread can’t be dismantled.

Hinshaw also said that with high levels of community transmission, the five per cent of people who can still be infected after a second vaccine dose can still expose those around them.

“That said, the very small risk of post-vaccine infection that could occur pales in comparison to the risk that comes without the vaccine. These vaccines work, even against variants,” she said, adding current evidence shows the three vaccines currently available in the province effectively stop the B.1.1.7 variant dominant in Alberta.

There are 90 active cases of COVID-19 in Medicine Hat on Tuesday.

Medicine Hat now has had 676 total cases – the 90 active, 569 recovered and there have been 17 deaths.

There are four new cases in the city and eight new recoveries today.

Across the province, there are 15,087 active cases, up 238 from Monday, and 146,011 recovered cases, up 840.

Alberta’s total cases from the start of the pandemic is 163,119.

There have been 12,154 variant cases ID’d in the province, 705 new today. There are 652 in the South Zone.

7,910 active cases (52.4 per cent of total) have been identified as variants of concern.

There are 1,081 total new cases in the province today.

There are now 402 Albertans in hospital with COVID-19, 88 of which are in ICU, and 2,021 deaths.

The province completed 11,965 tests in the past 24 hours.

The positivity rate is about 8.9 per cent.

Alberta has delivered 932,258 doses of vaccine.

Hinshaw will provide another update later this week.

Asked about protest Monday at the legislature and GraceLife Church near Edmonton on Sunday, Hinshaw said understands the anger. But she also said it’s critical everyone think about how they can support their communities and “focus on the things that unite us, which are much more plentiful than the things that divide us.”

She said those choosing to protest do not speak for the majority of Albertans.

Hinshaw also gave an update on the influenza season in Alberta, saying it “has ended like no other, with zero reported cases of seasonal influenza in Alberta.”

That’s not for a lack of testing, she said.

“More than 122,000 respiratory swabs were tested specifically for influenza, compared to less than 47,000 at this time last year, Hinshaw said, adding it was a record-breaking year for influenza vaccine with more than 1.6 million doses administered.

Flu activity lower than expected around the world with several countries reporting few to no influence cases. She said that shows the public health measures currently in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 – enhanced hygiene and physical distancing – have had an impact and provided protection against the spread of flu.

“This is a reminder of the power of our collective actions,” said Hinshaw.

There are 9,027 cases in the South Zone. There are 936 active cases and 7,984 recovered. The death total in the zone is at 107.

An AHS spokesperson told CHAT News on Monday that AHS South Zone currently has 31 COVID-19 positive individuals in hospital. There are 27 at Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge, with eight of those in the ICU. Medicine Hat Regional Hospital has three inpatients. The Cardston Health Centre has one inpatient.

St. Michael’s School is on AHS Outbreak status after reporting five cases in late March.

Ecole Connaught School has confirmed two variant cases. The first case was identified on March 31, the second on April 3.

Sixty-nine students from Eagle Butte High School are quarantining after a positive case was confirmed at the school last week. The individual was confirmed this week to have a variant strain of the virus.

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

The province-wide reproductive value from last week is 1.12. It is 1.08 in Calgary Zone, 1.18 in Edmonton Zone and 1.13 in the rest of Alberta. These figures are updated each Monday.

Cypress County has totaled 180 cases – 28 active cases and the rest recovered.

The County of Forty Mile has 133 total cases. There are six active cases, 124 recovered and there have been three deaths.

The MD of Taber has 442 total cases — 45 active cases, 391 recovered and there have been six deaths.

Special Areas No. 2 has 71 total cases – nine active cases, 61 recovered and there has been one death.

Brooks has 1,373 total cases — six active cases and 1,353 are recovered. Brooks has recorded 14 deaths.

The County of Newell has a total of 169 cases — seven active cases, 160 recovered and there have been two deaths.

The County of Warner has 218 total cases. There are 39 active cases, 176 are recovered cases and there have been three deaths in the county.

The City of Lethbridge has a total of 3,657 cases. There are 504 active cases, 3,123 recovered and there have been 30 deaths. Lethbridge County has 797 cases, 109 active cases, 680 recovered and there have been eight deaths.

The figures on alberta.ca are “up-to-date as of end of day April 12, 2021.”

Read the full April 13 update from the province here.

Saskatchewan has a total of 36,892 cases, 2,555 considered active. There are 33,880 recovered cases and there have been 457 COVID-19 deaths in the province.

Saskatchewan has delivered 298,767 doses of vaccine.

by Chris Brown

Active COVID-19 cases down by four in Medicine Hat

Our Community