The number of COVID-19 cases more than doubled over the course of three days within the County of Barrhead last week.
On April 5, the geospatial map that lists COVID-19 cases within all municipalities in the province stated that there were 14 active cases identified within the county. By April 8, that number had shot up to 31.
Late in the day on April 9, the geospatial map listed the County of Barrhead as having a total of 40 active cases. With 70 recoveries and two deaths, that adds up to a total of 112 cases.
While cases are also high in the Athabasca and Westlock areas, Woodlands County currently has zero active cases of COVID-19. (This does not include the Town of Whitecourt, which had 15 active cases on Friday afternoon.) Lac Ste. Anne County to the south also had a total of 14 active cases.
It is reasonable to assume that the more infectious variants of COVID-19 are driving the recent spike in cases within the County of Barrhead.
On April 8, chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw reported that the B.1.1.7 variant of COVID-19 first identified in the United Kingdom was now the dominant strain of the virus within Alberta.
“We have now reached the point that if you test positive, you should assume that you have the UK variant,” she said.
While the B.1.1.7 variant seems to cause more serious illness than the original strain, Hinshaw indicated that the vaccines currently being administered to Albertans do offer protection against it.
Hinshaw noted that as a result of the variant becoming dominant, the province will now offer two tests to all close contacts of confirmed cases.
She also reported that every Alberta eligible to receive a vaccine as part of Phase 2B can now book their appointment via Alberta Health Services or a participating pharmacy. (A list of participating pharmacies can be found via the Alberta Blue Cross website.)
That includes anyone born in 1963 or earlier, as well as anyone born in 2005 or earlier with the following health conditions: a missing spleen, cancer, chronic heart disease, chronic kidney diseases requiring regular medical monitoring or treatment, chronic liver diseases with any cause, chronic neurological diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes requiring insulin, pregnant women, severely obese individuals, Albertans with severe mental illness or substance use disorders who required a hospital stay in the past year, individuals with severe or profound learning disabilities or a severe developmental delay, and solid organ, bone marrow or stem cell transplant recipients.
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