Two new active cases of COVID-19 in Medicine Hat

The province conducted 8,024 tests in the past 24 hours.

With the return of school on the near horizon, Dr. Deena Hinshaw urged teachers and school-based staff, even without symptoms, should get tested once before school begins in September and regularly throughout the year.

“This is entirely voluntary. However, asymptomatic testing of staff in school settings will help us with a baseline understanding for school re-entry and ultimately help us even more closely monitor the virus in the coming year,” she said.

The province’s chief medical officer health added the recommendation comes with a caveat.

“There are about 90,000 school staff and teachers across Alberta. Our testing capacity has expanded greatly, but no province in Canada can collect and process that many tests all at once,” she said. “I am asking teachers and education staff to arrange testing proactively. Do not wait until the day before you are set to return to school.”

Hinshaw said more information would be shared by school division superintendents in the coming days.

She also asked other Albertans without symptoms and who are feeling well to delay being tested until after Sept. 1 to free up testing capacity for the education sector.

Hinshaw said parents can continue to access testing for their children at any time. But she only recommended children be tested if they have symptoms or pre-existing medical conditions with symptoms similar to COVID-19.

“This is because in students our priority is to make testing available to all those with ongoing mild symptoms that may mimic COVID-19, such as allergies,” she said, asking all such tests be booked through Alberta Health Services.

Hinshaw said that this increased testing is only one measure being used to help limit the spread of COVID-19 in schools. Other measures such as increased sanitation, daily screening and reorganization of classrooms also play a part, and Hinshaw said she hopes to share new protocols in the coming days.

Asked about a delay in returning to schools, as was announced by B.C. this week, Hinshaw said it’s her understanding that decision was made by the education ministry and deferred comment on any such decision to the Alberta education ministry.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw said her next in-person update will be on Tuesday. Online numbers will continue to be updated each weekday.

The South Zone has a total of 1,707 cases —1,632 recovered, an increase of five, and 55 active, a decrease of two.

There are five people in the zone in hospital, four of which are in ICU, and there have been 20 deaths.

Cypress County has totalled 31 cases – all recovered.

The County of Forty Mile has 19 total cases, six active cases and 13 recovered.

The MD of Taber has 38 total cases — one active, 36 recovered and one death.

Special Areas No. 2 has one active case and 14 recovered.

Brooks has 1,124 total cases —1,114 are recovered and one active. Brooks has recorded nine deaths. The County of Newell has a total of 28 cases — five active, 22 recovered and one death.

The County of Warner has 55 total cases. There are now 53 recovered cases, one new active case and one death in the county.

The City of Lethbridge has a total of 143 cases. Of those, 15 are listed as active and 126 recovered and there have been two deaths there. Lethbridge County has 30 cases, four active cases and 26 recovered.

The figures on alberta.ca are “up-to-date as of end of day Aug. 11, 2020.”

Saskatchewan reported five new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, none in the South Zone.

Saskatchewan has a total of 1,484 cases, 150 considered active. There are 1,314 recovered cases and there have been 20 COVID-19 deaths in the province.

by Chris Brown

Two new active cases of COVID-19 in Medicine Hat

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