Hinshaw: Active cases at two-month low

Alberta confirmed 25 new cases in the past 24 hours and two deaths. The total case count is now at 6,926 and the total number of deaths is 141.

Brooks recorded the only new case in the South Zone, which now stands at 1,235 cases. Of those, 1,156 are recovered, 71 are active and there have been eight deaths.

In Brooks there are 34 active cases, 1,055 recovered cases and seven deaths of the 1,096 total cases.

Medicine Hat remains at 41 total cases, eight active and 33 recovered.

There are currently 43 people in hospital with COVID-19, four of which are in the ICU.

Hinshaw said that the encouraging numbers during Stage 1 of Alberta’s relaunch have stirred discussions about moving Stage 2 up from June 19, but that a decision hasn’t been made yet.

Hinshaw said more information is being learned about how COVID-19 impacts people’s health. She said Multi-system Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MISC) have been found in Quebec, the U.S, U.K., Italy.

She announced one possible case of MISC is being investigated in Alberta this week.

She said cases in other jurisdictions so far “involve children and adolescents with recent infection with the virus with syndrome seeming to develop several weeks to about a month after an infection.”

MISC involves inflammation of several organs including the heart, kidneys blood vessels and nervous system. Fever is a key feature, said Hinshaw, and other symptoms can include rash, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain.

She said early information indicates the vast majority of children exposed to COVID-19 would not be expected to experience MISC.

“However, we are making this disease reportable in order to monitor any cases that might occur and to improve our understanding of this illness,” she said, adding clear guidelines are being developed to aid health officials and the condition appears to be rare and is treatable.

She said the new condition is a reminder the relaunch must progress carefully and urged people to not forget that COVID-19 was and is a deadly disease.

“During the peak of global deaths in April, the number of weekly deaths being reported was higher than lung cancer, road injuries, diabetes or suicide,” Hinshaw said. “The cumulative global death count for so far this year COVID-19 is higher than what would be expected for year-to-date global deaths for malaria or homicide.”

For those who compare COVID-19 to influenza, Hinshaw had a stark statistic.

“Our current COVID-19 death toll of 142 in Alberta is one and a half times higher than the highest annual influenza death number in the last five years and we have never taken such measures to prevent influenza from circulating,” she said. “It is on all of us to look out for one another and protect our most vulnerable from harm.”

“We are still in this fight together.”

Hinshaw finished her remarks by noting guidelines are being developed that would allow Edmonton to be a hub city for the NHL playoffs.

She said the guidelines will support players, NHL staff, media and Albertans to stay healthy and safe and remain open to working with the NHL to address concerns relating to quarantine requirements and other matters, working within federal and provincial health guidelines.

“Safety must be the top priority. In order to make this happen, all levels of government and the NHL will have to collaborate and find creative solutions,” she said.

On May 11, the province began putting a more detailed chart online for each zone.

The County of Newell has 15 cases, two active and 13 recovered.

Cypress County is reporting 14 cases of COVID-19, six active and eight recovered.

The County of Forty Mile and Municipal District of Taber each have two confirmed cases both listed as recovered.

Special Areas No. 2 has two confirmed cases, one recovered and one death.

The City of Lethbridge has 27 cases, seven listed as active and 20 recovered. Lethbridge County has one recorded recovered case.

by Chris Brown

Hinshaw: Active cases at two-month low

Our Community