WESTLOCK — Active COVID-19 cases continue to remain below 10 in the Westlock area.
Two new cases have been recorded since yesterday’s update, and one more person has recovered. There are seven active cases in the area of 173 recorded since the start of the pandemic. One person has died, a 90-year-old man at the Westlock Continuing Care Centre, and 165 others have recovered.
The area includes the Town of Westlock, Westlock County and the Village of Clyde.
In Alberta, 421 new cases were reported today out of about 11,500 tests for a positivity rate of 3.6 per cent. There are 6,588 active cases in the province.
A technical one-time error resulted in yesterday’s public reporting falling short of about 6,000 tests and 161 cases. Yesterday’s positivity rate remains at 3.5 per cent.
Sixty-eight cases of the COVID-19 variants first identified in the UK and South Africa have been reported as of today — 50 for the UK variant, and seven for the South African variant. Most were travelers, and six cases have been identified as close contacts.
Seven of those have no known link to travel, but investigation is still underway. Two more schools in the Calgary zone have been potentially exposed to the UK variant.
“These individuals did nothing wrong, and unfortunately the exposure was the result of an overall in incubation and quarantine periods,” Alberta’s chief medical officer Dr. Deena Hinshaw said.
All close contacts can get tested twice. Most positive cases are being tested for the variant strains.
Students and staff at two Calgary schools were already placed in isolation last week for exposure to the UK variant, and there has been no further spread.
There are 517 people in hospital, including 93 in ICU. Thirteen people have died since yesterday which brings the death toll in the province to 1,684.
“We continue to see a decline in hospitalizations, which benefits every Albertan,” said Hinshaw.
Thirteen per cent, or 304 Albertan schools are on alert or outbreak with a total of 763 cases. None of the schools in the Westlock area have two or more cases.
The province has administered 112,388 doses of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines as of yesterday. Of those, 21,794 people have received both doses.
Hinshaw said there hasn’t been a significant increase in the rate or severity of adverse reactions — 53 have been reported so far. The most common symptoms include swollen lymph nodes, diarrhea or a rash.
“Current evidence from around the world indicates that these vaccines are safe and the benefit of being protected from COVID-19 outweighs the very rare risk of a minor adverse event,” Hinshaw said.
The vaccines that have been approved so far, Hinshaw said, may be less effective against the new COVID-19 strains, but they do work in preventing severe cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
Measures will be relaxed starting Monday. Restaurants, bars, pubs and gyms will be allowed to reopen in a limited capacity. The new plan for easing restrictions is based on number of hospitalizations and staggers activities and businesses that can reopen.
CMOH warns of fake vaccine-for-a-fee calls
Alberta Health Services has been receiving complaints from people over the age of 75 who are receiving phone calls offering vaccines for a fee.
“This is not a legitimate claim. This is a scam. Due to limited vaccine supply coming into the province, we are not yet able to offer the vaccine to all Albertans over the age of 75. When we do, the vaccine will be free of charge,” Hinshaw says.
“Neither AHS nor any other community provider will be asking for payment for the vaccine.”
Phase 1B, which includes Albertans 75 or older and First Nations 65 or older, was set to begin in February but has not yet started due to the vaccine shortage.
The calls can be reported to non-emergency police lines.
Andreea Resmerita, TownandCountryToday.com
