Officials report 33 new cases, four deaths
Alberta is continuing to see a downward trend in COVID-19 cases, the province’s top doctor said Thursday.
Chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said while it’s too early to see the full impact of the province’s relaunch that started May 14, the number of new cases have held steady.
“A large part of this is thanks to you and the sacrifices that you have made and continue to make,” Hinshaw said at a press briefing. “I know many of the public health measures we put in place have meant hardship for many. We did not make these decisions lightly — these decision were made to save lives, and thanks to you, we are saving lives.”
Thirty-three new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Alberta on Thursday for a total of 6,768, of which 926 are active.
Two major outbreak sites have only a few active cases remaining: five at the Cargill meat-processing plant in Calgary, which has 943 recoveries, and 10 at the JBS beef plant in Brooks, which has 640 recoveries.
Four additional deaths were also reported Thursday: a man in his 70s, a man and woman in their 80s, and a woman in her 90s, all at continuing care facilities in Calgary.
A total of 132 people have died from COVID-19 in Alberta. Of these deaths, 98 were in continuing care. There are 89 active cases and 609 recoveries in Alberta’s long-term care facilities.
“The average age of those who have died from COVID-19 is 82 years, which is why long-term care and other continuing-care facilities remain a priority for both me and Alberta Health Services,” Hinshaw said. “We will continue to monitor outbreaks at these facilities and take additional measures as necessary to protect the health of residents and staff.”
As for physical distancing and compliance with public health orders, Hinshaw said she hasn’t heard of many significant issues.
In Edmonton over the long weekend, she said, environmental public health teams found many businesses that reopened were taking appropriate measures. Some were not, she said, but were willing to follow recommendations after being visited by public health teams.
“I think it’s important for all of us to remember that this isn’t going back to business as usual, the way it was before. And we do have some of our teams out in the field, making sure that businesses have that reminder,” she said.
Hinshaw also said she’s hopeful cases of COVID-19 will decline in the summer, similar to other respiratory viruses.
“While we don’t know for sure if that will be something that helps us with COVID, it’s reasonable to think that we might get a little bit of a break over the summer, as we are outside more often knowing that the ability to stay two meters apart outside and having that good air circulation and less surfaces to touch,” she said.
Even so, Hinshaw said it’s important people aren’t lulled into a false sense of security, as respiratory viruses often spike in the fall, meaning there could be a resurgence.
Hinshaw also confirmed Thursday that small outbreaks at Royal Alexandra Hospital, Edmonton General Continuing Care, and Sturgeon Community Hospital in St. Albert have been declared over with no additional cases.
Across Alberta, 4,017 new tests have been completed since Wednesday.
There have been 5,710 recoveries to date. Fifty-nine people are currently in hospital, with six in intensive care.
Nationally, 6,152 people have died due to COVID-19, and there have been 81,313 cases of the disease. Globally, there have been 4,904,413 confirmed cases of COVID-19 including 323,412 deaths as of Thursday.