Athabasca COVID cases fall then rise over holidays

ATHABASCA - The Alberta government provided an update to regional COVID-19 numbers today — and while the number of active cases in the Athabasca region has fallen from its peak in mid-December, it still sits higher than it did just before the new year.

As of Jan. 3, Athabasca County, the Town of Athabasca, and the Village of Boyle counted 153 total cases, with 118 recovered and 35 active with an active case rate per 100,000 residents at 265.2 and a population of 13,196. Boyle, which is a separate geographical area on the government's geospatial map, accounts for 15 of the active cases within the county's borders, and 49 altogether.

The Boyle area is bordered to the southeast by Smoky Lake County whose numbers are still among the highest in the province — total cases now sit at 446, with 56 that are currently active, and there have been three deaths reported. The active case rate per 100,000 is now at 688.8 with a population of 8,421.

To the south, Thorhild County now has just five active cases and 31 recovered cases, for a total of 36 overall cases.

In Westlock County, the number of active cases is at 20 active cases, and an active case rate at 146.3 per 100,000 residents, and a population of 13,673. There has been one death as a result of the virus. Numbers in the County of Barrhead remain low at six active cases, and there have been two deaths.

To the west of Athabasca County, the M.D. of Lesser Slave River has 21 active cases and 96 recoveries. To the north, numbers in the M.D. of Opportunity spiked over Christmas and now sit at 60 active cases with 109 recoveries and a rate of 902.8 per 100,000 residents. There were 20 active cases before the holiday.

To the east, there are 27 active cases within the borders of Lac La Biche County, all within the Hamlet of Lac La Biche. There have also been two deaths.

On Sunday, Dec.13, the province implemented mandatory restrictions on gatherings and face-coverings to offset the number of active cases being reported across the province. Those are still in place, and supercede the temporary face-covering bylaw adopted by both the Town of Athabasca and Athabasca County, which were activated Nov. 22 at a rate of 50.

The province reported there are now 13,839 active cases in Alberta, and there have been 90,554 recoveries for a total of 105,535 cases since March. The death toll has risen to 1,142. There are now 905 people in hospital, and 136 of those are in intensive care.