WESTLOCK — Four more people tested positive in the Westlock area since Thursday.
Since then, others have recovered but active cases in the area sit at 23 of 37 cases recorded since the start of the pandemic according to the provincial government’s geospatial COVID-19 tracker. The rate of active cases has decreased slightly to 168.2 per 100,000 people. The area covers the Town of Westlock, Westlock County and the Village of Clyde.
Alberta’s chief medical officer Dr. Deena Hinshaw explained there has been a delay in reporting because of updates to the reporting system.
R.F. Staples School in Westlock is still under a ‘watch’ advisory with five or more cases — last week, Pembina Hills School Division Supt. David Garbutt confirmed seven students tested positive. Westlock Elementary School has an outbreak, with one student and one staff who tested positive. The division cancelled extra curriculars at all its schools because of the cases.
Across the province, there are 778 active cases in 252 schools — that’s 10 per cent of all Alberta schools. Of those, 173 schools have had no in school transmission.
“I have said before that cases we are seeing in our schools as well as in our hospitals and continuing care facilities are largely a reflection of the transmission that is going on in our communities,” said Hinshaw.
In the last four days, Alberta recorded 2,268 new cases of COVID-19, at an average of 567 new cases per day: 581 on Friday, 525 on Saturday, 592 on Sunday and 570 yesterday. The lab positivity rate (that is positive results per tests conducted) rose to 6.8 per cent across the province and almost nine per cent in Edmonton.
“As the case numbers reported over the last few weeks show, we are facing a concerning situation and we need to reduce the rate of transmission if we want to avoid more difficult choices in the future,” Hinshaw said.
“In particular, in areas where case numbers are increasing, I ask you to think carefully about your actions.”
Currently, there are 6,110 active cases in Alberta, 2,581 of them in Edmonton. Calgary is on par with Edmonton with more than 2,500 active cases.
COVID-related hospitalizations rose to 167 with 27 people in ICU, a “sharp and concerning increase,” Hinshaw said. Most of them are in Edmonton. Fifteen people have died since Friday, which brings the death toll to 338 in Alberta.
No new measures
Hinshaw didn’t announce any new measures today, but said others will be considered if the rate of transmission doesn’t drop in the next few days.
“I know that there are many opinions about what this virus means, what will come next and the best way to move forward. I continue to ask all Albertans to engage in respectful debate. COVID-19 is new and there is no one right way to navigate this pandemic.
“What we do know, however, is that when COVID-19 starts to escalate, it can do so quickly and dramatically.”
A large portion of transmission, she added, happens within households, “families infecting on another.”
She asked that if a family member feels sick or tests positive, they isolate in a separate room, preferably with a separate bathroom. If that’s not possible, they should wear a mask and disinfect surfaces. They shouldn’t share food, sit at family meals or do any family activities.
COVID worse than influenza
Hinsahw explained that COVID-19 is more dangerous than the influenza: there is no vaccine, the virus is deadlier, and it has a greater impact on the health system.
“While the true mortality of COVID-19 will take some time to fully understand, the preliminary data is clear. In the last four influenza seasons, the peak number of deaths we have recorded in a full year is 92. In just eight months, there have been 338 deaths from COVID-19 despite taking extraordinary measures to contain transmission.”
