By Chris Brown

84 active cases in Medicine Hat

Record number of daily COVID-19 deaths reported in Alberta

Dec 17, 2020 | 4:14 PM

The province has reported a record number of daily COVID-19 deaths – 30.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw called it a heartbreaking figure.

“While these deaths did not all occur yesterday, this is the highest figure that I have had the sad task of reporting,” she said. “If anyone still needs reminding of the seriousness of this virus, of the importance of restrictions that are currently in place and the importance of doing everything possible to limit our interactions and breaks the chains of transmission, this is it.”

There are 84 active cases of COVID-19 in Medicine Hat.

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The city now has had 396 total cases – the 84 active, 307 recovered and there have been five deaths.

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

Across the province, there are 19,865 active cases, down 304 from Wednesday, and 65,513 recovered cases, up 1,845.

Alberta’s total number of COVID-19 cases from the start of the pandemic is 86,168.

There are 1,571 new cases in the province today.

There are now 763 Albertans in hospital with COVID-19, 138 of which are in ICU, and 790 deaths. There are 30 deaths in Thursday’s update.

The province completed 19,852 tests in the past 24 hours.

The provincial positivity rate is 7.9 per cent.

With the holidays almost here, the province’s top doctor reiterated her message that “this year we can and must celebrate differently.”

She said that holiday gatherings with people outside of your household are not only against the current public health restrictions but are also the wrong thing to do right now.

“The safest way to celebrate this year is in-person with only your own household or with your designated two close contacts if you live alone. Celebrations with others should be virtual,” said Hinshaw.

To those who think they could bend the rules out of compassion, she said the compassionate choice is to follow the rules.

Alberta’s vaccination program has seen 394 health-care workers receive their first dose of the vaccine as of Wednesday evening.

The chief medical officer of health said it will take time for the province to get enough vaccine doses to innoculate everyone and asks for patience.

The vaccination program is starting with critical health-care and long-term-care workers, as well as those living in continuing care “to save lives and protect the health-care system for all Albertans,” Hinshaw said.

Medicine Hat remains on the provincial “Watch” list and is in enhanced status. In enhanced status, risk levels require enhanced public health measures to control the spread and are informed by local context.

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 83 active cases among 68,057 people puts it at a rate of 123.4.

Cypress County with a rate of 107 on 12 active cases is also on the list.

Brooks (176.2 rate), the County of Newell (197.7), Lethbridge (198) Lethbridge County (190.3) and the MD of Taber (148.4) are also on the list.

All those regions are also in enhanced status.

There are 4,674 cases in the South Zone. There are 541 active cases and 4,081 recovered. There are 16 in hospital due to COVID-19 in the zone, four of them in the ICU. The death total in the zone is at 52.

On Tuesday, an AHS spokesperson told CHAT News AHS South Zone currently has 19 COVID-19 positive individuals in hospital. There are seven at Medicine Hat Regional Hospital, with one of those in the ICU. Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge has 12 inpatients, with three in the ICU.

On Thursday there are 294 schools in the province where outbreaks have been declared. Alberta Health’s threshold for declaring an outbreak in school is two cases being in a school while infectious within 14 days.

In the city, Crescent Heights High School is listed as having an outbreak.

In Brooks, an outbreak is listed at Christ the King Academy and at Holy Family Academy.

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

Cypress County has totaled 135 cases – 12 active cases and the rest recovered.

The County of Forty Mile has 113 total cases. There is one active case, 110 recovered and there have been two deaths.

The MD of Taber has 295 total cases — 28 active cases, 261 recovered and there have been six deaths.

Special Areas No. 2 has 33 total cases – eight active, 24 recovered and there has been one death.

Brooks has 1,324 total cases — 34 active and 1,276 are recovered. Brooks has recorded 14 deaths.

The County of Newell has a total of 135 cases — 16 active cases, 117 recovered and there have been two deaths.

The County of Warner has 143 total cases. There are 10 active cases, 131 are recovered cases and there have been two deaths in the county.

The City of Lethbridge has a total of 1,305 cases. There are 196 active cases, 1,102 recovered and there have been seven deaths. Lethbridge County has 398 cases, 48 active cases, 347 recovered and there have been three deaths.

The figures on alberta.ca are “up-to-date as of end of day Dec. 16, 2020.”

Read the full Dec. 17 update from the province here.

Saskatchewan confirmed 238 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, 13 in the South Zones.

Saskatchewan has a total of 12,832 cases, 3,978 considered active. There are 8,749 recovered cases and there have been 105 COVID-19 deaths in the province.