By Chris Brown

Another 42 cases in Brooks

COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Brooks, one more case in Medicine Hat

Apr 21, 2020 | 3:46 PM

Alberta has confirmed another 187 cases of COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, bringing the provincial total to 3,095. There have also been an additional two deaths for a total of 61 and an additional 43 people have recovered, bringing that total to 1,273.

Alberta has tested 109,015 people.

In Medicine Hat, the number of cases has gone up by one to 16 confirmed cases. There are now six cases considered active and 10 are listed as recovered.

The South Zone now has an even 200 cases, the majority of which are in Brooks. Cypress County still has eight cases, seven active and one recovered. The County of Forty Mile and the MD of Taber each have just two cases, all recovered.

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Brooks now has 157 active cases and the County of Newell has one active case.

In terms of hospitalizations, 64 people are in hospital with 18 admitted to ICU.

As the outbreak at JBS Foods Canada in Brooks continues, Dr. Deena Hinshaw said employees there are being swabbed as an added measure of outbreak control. There are 77 confirmed cases there.

Beginning Tuesday the names and locations of active outbreaks at continuing care, long-term care and acute care sites. Any site that has seen two or more cases. Hinshaw said that is usually an indicator that transmission has occurred in that facility. An outbreak is declared over when four weeks have passed with more new cases. Hinshaw said the program will be expanded to other settings in the weeks to come.

Hinshaw cautioned that masks do not fully protect anyone from the potential spread of COVID-19, noting it spreads via droplets that can come from sneezing, coughing, talking laughing and even singing.

“My advice is to stay at least two metres away from others, and this is because the spread by droplets,” she said.

It’s also important for masks to be worn properly – covering the nose and the mouth – and should be promptly disposed of after use.

Cleaning and disinfecting regularly touched surfaces and frequent handwashing are other protective measures outlined by Hinshaw.

Hinshaw touched on desires of Albertans to get back to normal. She said Albertans have collectively pulled together to reduce the spread of the virus, and succeeded to a large measure.

“The temptation we need to resist is to think that because we haven’t yet seen the spread that our model predicted, that means the virus has gone away. That is not true,” she said. “The virus is still with us and we need to continue to take it very seriously, even as we start to think about re-opening.”

“We will need to keep following core elements of the public health for many months to come,” Hinshaw said, adding that even as businesses open up in the coming months a balance will need to be found between minimizing virus spread and ensuring society can function and remain safe.

She said Albertans should begin to move away from the modelling numbers, and focus on what’s being seen in actuality.

“It’s under our control to change what the real situation is,” she said.

Prior to Hinshaw providing her update, Children’s Services Minister Rebecca Schulz announced that $60 million will go protect people struggling with homelessness, women and children fleeing domestic and those who need access to food and other necessities.

Of that, $30 million will go to shelters, civil society organizations and not-for-profits. The other $30 million will be distributed to homeless shelters and women’s shelters throughout the province.

The full April 21 update from the province can be found here.