Edmonton zone sees steady rise in virus cases

A rise in COVID -19 case numbers has Edmonton catching up to Calgary as the epicentre of the pandemic in Alberta.

The Edmonton zone has seen a steady increase in the number of active cases since the beginning of the month, climbing to 175 cases on Monday from 44 cases June 1.

The Calgary zone currently has 214 cases, down from 309 on June 1.

The City of Edmonton itself has 170 active cases.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the province’s chief medical officer of health, said about two-thirds of the capital’s cases are linked to social interactions and close contacts of known cases. The other third is still under investigation.

There are currently eight people in hospital with COVID-19 in the Edmonton zone, including two in intensive care units (ICU). Across the province there are 31 people in hospital, seven of whom are in ICU.

“I think there’s a possible perception that with our first wave coming down and being low, that it may feel like this is over, that our response is over and we can go back to life as normal,” said Hinshaw.

“I think it’s important again, that people remember that this virus is going to be with us for many months to come.”

Hinshaw said people should remain cautious and protect one another by adhering to physical-distancing recommendations and wearing masks when that’s not possible.

She also said a second wave of cases is expected, but the timing and peak of that wave all depends on how Edmontonians follow those guidelines.

Hinshaw announced at her Monday update that communities that have 50 cases per 100,000 people and at least 10 active case would now be considered “watched” by the provincial government to determine if additional restrictions are needed to prevent the spread of the virus.

She said provincial public health employees will work with municipal officials to determine what measures are needed.

A new relaunch map on the provincial government’s website shows Clear Hills County in northwest Alberta and Cardston County near the southern border are currently under watch but have no additional regulations at this time.

“While this metric helps provide transparency to the process of determining any need for extra local measures, in areas below that threshold, we still need to continue our precautions,” said Hinshaw.

Twenty new cases of COVID -19 were recorded Monday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to date in the province to 7,453.

There are 440 active cases and there have been 6,862 recoveries. One additional death was recorded, bringing that total to 151.

The province had conducted over 343,000 tests as of Monday afternoon, Hinshaw said

Meanwhile, Health Minister Tyler Shandro announced at the daily update that the public health emergency the province declared in March has now ended.

“I want to be clear, while the state of emergency is lapsing, it does not remove or impact existing orders that Dr. Hinshaw has put in place, nor does it impact our ability to issue additional orders as they may be needed in the days ahead,” said Shandro.

Legislation that will ensure the province has the power to respond to the pandemic as needed will be coming this week, Shandro said.

Across the country, there have been 98,797 total cases and 8,146 deaths, according to the latest numbers from Health Canada. Numbers from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicate there have been 7,823,289 cases and 431,541 deaths reported globally.

I think it’s important again, that people remember that this virus is going to be with us for many months to come.