By Chris Brown

26 active cases in city

New COVID-19 variants present a ‘serious threat,’ says Shandro

Jan 25, 2021 | 4:26 PM

Health Minister Tyler Shandro says Albertans aren’t immune from the impacts of new variants of COVID-19 that have been circulating around the world.

“These new variants present a serious threat and a complicating factor when it comes to relaxing restrictions,” said Shandro. “We need to continue to proceed cautiously recognizing health-care system still under significant strain. If we’re not careful our health-care could be in a dark situation within weeks and it would be very difficult to get things under control.”

The health minister says they continue to evaluate the criteria for relaxing restrictions and hopes to have more to say in the coming days on that.

In the last few months, several variants have been discovered, and two are of particular concern in Alberta – one variant first discovered in the United Kingdom and another in South Africa.

He said the variants can spread very quickly, and emerging research indicates they have a significantly higher infection rate, estimated about “30-50 per cent higher than the strain that we’ve had in Alberta to date.”

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There are 20 cases of the U.K strain in Alberta and five of the South Africa strain and that virtually all are directly linked to international travel.

One case of the U.K. variant is so far not linked to travel.

“This means it may have entered the broader community. Let me be blunt. This is very concerning,” said Shandro.

There was a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in the U.K. and Ireland as the variants took hold there.

Shandro said health officials have been watching and shared projections on what Alberta could be dealing with if these variants became the dominant strain, saying he wants to provide “facts not fear” and that the projections provide important context.

Over six weeks, starting at 250 active cases and with no health measures in place, that number would rise to 2,217 with the current strain and to 10,217 if the variant strain becomes the dominant one.

Hospitalizations would rise from 1,073 to 3,611 over eight weeks and ICU admissions from about 200 to about 800 over seven weeks.

There are 26 active cases of COVID-19 in Medicine Hat on Monday.

The city now has had 523 total cases – the 26 active, 484 recovered and there have been 13 deaths, one reported on Monday.

There are zero new cases in the city in Monday’s update and three new recoveries.

Across the province, there are 9,337 active cases, down 174 from Friday, and 110,622 recovered cases, up 889.

Alberta’s total number of COVID-19 cases from the start of the pandemic is 121,535.

There are 362 new cases in the province today.

There are now 637 Albertans in hospital with COVID-19, 113 of which are in ICU, and 1,574 deaths.

The province completed 7,186 tests in the past 24 hours.

The provincial positivity rate is 5 per cent.

As of Jan. 24, 99,453 doses of vaccine have been administered in Alberta.

To deal with the new variants, the government is increasing genetic testing and expanding the rapid screening capacity for mutations of concern.

There are also changes to the border testing program.

“Effective immediately, participants must remain in isolation until their second negative test comes back,” Shandro said. If either comes back positive the person must isolate for the full 14 days.

Previously people could leave isolation after the first negative test after arriving, provided they sought another tet after about one week.

Anyone currently in the program who hasn’t received a second negative test must return to isolation immediately.

All samples from the border program will be analyzed for both the U.K. and South African variants.

The government will start giving weekly updates on the variants.

Shandro said research shows the current vaccines protect against the new variants.

Chief medical officer Dr. Deena Hinshaw said that restrictions must remain in place until hospitalization rates decline further, as they are a lagging indicator.

“I know this isn’t easy, especially for those whose businesses and work have been impacted. But it’s necessary given the continued strain on our health-care system,” she said. “As soon as it’s safe to recommend the easing of any restrictions we will do so.”

Hinshaw will provide another in-person update on Tuesday.

Detailed case numbers were updated later on Monday afternoon.

Medicine Hat and the entire province remains in enhanced status, in which risk levels require enhanced public health measures to control the spread and are informed by local context.

Medicine Hat should however be off the provincial “Watch” list.

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 26 active cases among 68,057 people puts it at a rate of 38.2.

Brooks, the MD of Taber, Cypress County and the County of Forty Mile are no longer on the “Watch” list.

The County of Newell (123.6), Lethbridge (129.3) and Lethbridge County (122.9) are on the list.

There are 5,713 cases in the South Zone. There are 399 active cases and 5,245 recovered. The death total in the zone is at 69.

An AHS spokesperson told CHAT News on Monday that AHS South Zone currently has 30 COVID-19 positive individuals in hospital. There are six at Medicine Hat Regional Hospital, with three of those in the ICU. Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge has 21 inpatients, with six of those in the ICU. The Cardston Health Centre has two inpatients, and the Pincher Creek Health Centre has one.

Seven Persons School is on “Alert” status, with two positive cases. One was confirmed on Jan. 17 and one on Jan. 15. Students and staff have been identified as close contacts and placed into quarantine.

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

Cypress County has totaled 144 cases – one active case and the rest recovered.

The County of Forty Mile has 117 total cases. There is one active case, 114 recovered and there have been two deaths.

The MD of Taber has 328 total cases — six active cases, 316 recovered and there have been six deaths.

Special Areas No. 2 has 40 total cases – two active, 37 recovered and there has been one death.

Brooks has 1,361 total cases — four active and 1,343 are recovered. Brooks has recorded 14 deaths.

The County of Newell has a total of 156 cases — 10 active cases, 144 recovered and there have been two deaths.

The County of Warner has 158 total cases. There are eight active cases, 148 are recovered cases and there have been two deaths in the county.

The City of Lethbridge has a total of 1,637 cases. There are 128 active cases, 1,498 recovered and there have been 11 deaths. Lethbridge County has 505 cases, 31 active cases, 467 recovered and there have been seven deaths.

The figures on alberta.ca are “up-to-date as of end of day Jan. 24, 2021.”

Read the full Jan. 25 update from the province here.

Saskatchewan confirmed 774 new cases of COVID-19 since the Friday update.

Saskatchewan has a total of 22,416 cases, 3,272 considered active. There are 18,890 recovered cases and there have been 257 COVID-19 deaths in the province.

Saskatchewan has delivered 33,353 doses of vaccine.