ATHABASCA - The number of active cases of COVID-19 in the Athabasca region continues its downward trend, falling from 38 last Sunday to 27 as of Jan. 17.
On Jan. 17, the Government of Alberta's geospatial map reported an active case rate of 204.6 per 100,000 residents in Athabasca County, the Town of Athabasca, and the Village of Boyle, with a population of the three municipalities of 13,196. That's down from 242.5 on Jan. 11.
Recoveries have increased to 149 for a total of 176 cases since the pandemic was declared in March.
Active cases in the Boyle area are down as well, reporting 11 active cases Jan. 17, down from 18 the previous Sunday. There have been 58 total cases in all.
The Boyle area is bordered to the southeast by Smoky Lake County, where there are now over 500 total cases at this point, along with four deaths, one more than was reported a week ago. Total cases now sit at 529, with 86 active cases, and an active case rate per 100,000 at 1021.3, with 8,421 residents.
Thorhild County to the south has now reached zero cases after seeing 35 recoveries.
Westlock County reports 17 active cases and 141 recoveries, with a single death reported; County of Barrhead sits at four active cases with 45 recoveries and two deaths; while the M.D. of Lesser Slave River to the west has 33 active cases and 122 recoveries.
To the north, in the M.D. of Opportunity, active cases are up to 75, and there have been 171 recoveries there. The active case rate is 1,128.5 per 100,000 residents and a population of 6,646. East of Athabasca County in Lac La Biche County, there are 66 active cases, all within the Hamlet of Lac La Biche, along with 194 recoveries, as well as three outside the hamlet. There have also been five deaths.
Mandatory restrictions were extended until Jan. 21 last week, but some were eased and hair dressers, barber shops, esthetics, reflexology, piercing and tattoo businesses were allowed to reopen Jan. 18, by appointment only.
Sunday, the province reported 750 additional cases since the previous day, along with 19 more deaths — 1,436 in all. There are now 12,234 active cases in Alberta, and 103,167 recoveries since March. There are also 738 people in the hospital, and 123 of those are in intensive care.
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