Athabasca COVID cases back into mid-20s

ATHABASCA - After falling to 20 just yesterday, the number of active cases of COVID-19 in the Athabasca region is back up to 24.

On Jan. 25, the Government of Alberta's geospatial map reported an active case rate of 181.9 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 still down from 242.5 on Jan. 11 and 204.6 Jan. 18.   

Recoveries have increased to 165 for a total of 189 cases since the pandemic was declared in March. 

Active cases in the Boyle area are at 10, and have been hovering around that mark, give or take a couple cases, for the last two weeks. There have been 64 total cases in all. 

The Boyle area is bordered to the southeast by Smoky Lake County, where there are now over 550 total cases at this point, along with five deaths. Total cases now sit at 552, with 60 active cases, and an active case rate per 100,000 at 712.5, with 8,421 residents. 

Thorhild County, to the south, reached and maintained zero cases for two weeks, but reported two new active cases today, making for 37 total cases.

Westlock County reports 14 active cases and 153 recoveries, with a single death reported. The County of Barrhead has reached zero active cases as of today. There have been 51 cases in all, and two deaths have occurred.

The M.D. of Lesser Slave River, to the west, has 28 active cases and 149 recoveries. 

To the north, in the M.D. of Opportunity, active cases are up to 77. There have been 216 recoveries there, and one reported death. The active case rate is 1,158.6 per 100,000 residents and a population of 6,646. East of Athabasca County in Lac La Biche County, there are 75 active cases, all but one within the Hamlet of Lac La Biche, along with 225 recoveries altogether. There have also been seven deaths. 

Mandatory restrictions were extended indefinitely last Thursday, but some were eased before that, Jan. 18, for hair dressers, barber shops, esthetics, reflexology, piercing and tattoo businesses were allowed to reopen Jan. 18, by appointment only. 

Today, the province reported 362 additional cases since Sunday, along with 25 more deaths — 1,574 in all. There are now 9,337 active cases in Alberta, and 110,622 recoveries since March. There are also 637 people in the hospital, and 113 of those are in intensive care.