City optimistic as COVID local case numbers now lowest in a month

Medicine Hatters appear to be fairing well in their fight to limit the spread of coronavirus, municipal emergency officials said Monday as active cases hit their lowest level in a month.

City director of emergency management Merrick Brown told council in a bi-weekly update that he is encouraged by figures released Monday, but any new cases acquired over Christmas might not appear in provincial data for a week or more.

“Some of the data is less detailed but I think there’s good news,” said Brown, adding he believes Albertans and Hatters took the message in late November seriously of adhering to health guidelines, which seems to have resulted in fewer cases.

“Things are improving, we know that,” he said. “It’s not over yet, but we know how to get out of it.”

Monday’s update from Alberta Health officials stated that active cases in the city fell to 50, down a total of 13 since the previous update on Dec. 30, prior to the holiday weekend.

That includes 12 new cases over several days released at the same time in Monday’s update. Those alongside recoveries and one additional mortality moves cases off the active list.

The total number of active cases is the lowest since late November, when a surge in cases rose well above 100 for several weeks.

“Locally we were seeing 100 cases three weeks ago, and a week before that 120,” said Brown. “We asked residents to do their part ... I can safely say that we’re doing our part.”

As far as city operations are concerned, Brown described the city’s readiness stance as “monitoring.”

Utility and public safety operations are working well. Overall, the city’s absenteeism rate is at its lowest point since the beginning of the pandemic.

The city is now also assessing how to best allow its workers to begin vaccinations if essential workers are prioritized for doses.

New fatal case

Monday’s update also brought the number of deaths from the respiratory disease to nine in Medicine Hat.

The new death was a man in his 90s at the Revera Meadowlands Retirement Residence.

A total of 1,142 Albertans have died as the result of COVID-19.

It is unknown whether that was included among two deaths publicly reported by the facility’s management last week. An outbreak was declared there on Dec. 19.

Active cases in Cypress County counted six, including one new case.