Outbreaks declared at five care facilities
Edmonton Zone still has province’s highest number of active cases
COVID-19 outbreaks were declared at five Edmonton longterm care and supportive living facilities Tuesday, including two at Shepherd’s Care, according to Alberta Health.
Four staff have tested positive for the illness at Shepherd’s Care Kensington Village, the site of a deadly outbreak that killed four residents earlier this year.
Two more staff members have tested positive at Shepherd’s Care Vanguard supportive living. Outbreaks declared at two of its other Edmonton facilities — Greenfield, where one resident died, and Heritage Gardens Condos — were lifted last Thursday and last Monday, the company’s website says.
“With no resident cases it is established these four staff acquired COVID-19 in the community and not at Shepherd’s Care,” Zachary Penner, executive director of communications for Shepherd’s Care Foundation, said in an email statement Tuesday.
“All staff and residents in the cohort area have been tested and all of the results so far have been negative.”
Penner said the foundation is exceeding standards for infection prevention and control set by Alberta Health Services.
“Our staff screening is rigorous and we have created a culture where staff are not pressured to come to work sick. Together with enhanced infection prevention control protocols, this is how we have successfully prevented staff cases from spreading to the resident population,” he said.
The other outbreaks declared Tuesday are at Hardisty Care Centre, with three cases; ICE Southridge Group Home, with five cases; and Salvation Army Grace Manor, with two cases.
Kensington Village had a total of 36 people — 24 residents and 12 staff — test positive for the disease in the earlier outbreak, between March 16 and early June, the facility said Tuesday.
No additional deaths or cases were reported Tuesday in the outbreak at Good Samaritan Southgate Care Centre. Twelve residents and six staff had active cases of COVID-19, and a total of 36 residents and 27 employees have now recovered, the facility says.
Alberta reported 77 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, and one more person has died, the province said.
There have been 13,083 cases of the disease in the province, with 1,134 of those active, and 235 deaths. Forty-six people are in hospital, seven of them in intensive care.
The Edmonton Zone also continued to see the highest number of active cases in the province at 608, followed by Calgary Zone with 340. The Edmonton Zone has had a total of 2,109 cases, and 59 people have died.
The City of Edmonton remained on the province’s watch list Tuesday with 547 active cases in the city and an active case rate of 53.5 per 100,000 people. Sturgeon County is also on a watch status.
More than half of all Alberta cases involve people under the age of 40.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the chief medical officer of health, said Monday that 75 active cases of COVID -19 were connected to the outbreak at Bible Pentecostal Church, and two people have recovered. There were also two active cases at Grey Nuns Community Hospital.
Other ongoing outbreaks in Edmonton include Tralee Residential Services, with 11 cases; Capital Care Dickinsfield, with four cases; Catholic Social Services St. Rita, with three cases; Lifestyle Options Schonsee Retirement Community, with eight cases; and Extendicare Eaux Claires, with two cases.
Nationally, 9,090 Canadians have died from COVID-19, and there have been 125,969 cases. Globally, there have been 23,518,343 cases, including 810,492 deaths, according to the World Health Organization.