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DOZENS BEING NOTIFIED

Three Red Deer physicians test positive for COVID-19

Mar 24, 2020 | 3:53 PM

Three physicians from Red Deer have tested positive for COVID-19.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, says all three attended the curling bonspiel earlier this month in Edmonton that has now seen a total of 12 healthcare workers test positive for novel coronavirus.

The names of the doctors who tested positive are not being released.

Hinshaw noted there are also infected physicians from the Edmonton zone and Calgary zone.

“From the three cases in Red Deer, although they each worked less than a day while symptomatic, a total of 58 patients and 97 other healthcare workers have been or will be contacted as potential close contacts of these three,” she added.

Hinshaw says this serves as a reminder that it is critical to immediately self-isolate at the first sign of symptoms.

“Symptoms can be mild, and these physicians did not know they had been exposed to COVID-19 when they became ill. They simply finished out their shifts they were doing, went home and self-isolated at that point,” she explained.

The overall number of cases in the Central zone now stands at 28, an increase of 11 from Monday. Alberta’s total has risen to 358.

Red Deer now has 14 confirmed cases of COVID-19, an increase of five from Monday.

Red Deer County now has two confirmed cases while Lacombe has recorded its first two confirmed cases. Innisfail and Olds remain with one confirmed case each.

The number of cases in Alberta is now 358. Our province has also recorded its second death as a result of COVID-19.