Dr. Deena Hinshaw shares her latest COVID-19 update on Monday, August 10. (Photo: Gov't. of Alberta live stream)

By Troy Gillard

local numbers hold steady

Alberta COVID-19 recoveries surpass 10,000

Aug 10, 2020 | 4:10 PM

In its first update since Friday, Alberta has announced 257 new cases of COVID-19 over the weekend. The province now has a total of 11,687 cases.

Of the province’s new cases 108 were reported Friday, 101 on Saturday and just 48 on Sunday.

Alberta completed 8,779 tests on Friday, 10,166 Saturday and 7,412 Sunday to push the total number of completed tests to 770,266.

“There is some irony in the fact that my cautious optimism last week was followed by three days with new cases counts over 100. It is a reminder that COVID continues to be with us, and we cannot turn our backs on this virus,” said Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical health officer, during her update on Monday. “We all need to make wise decisions every day that make life safer, regardless of whether case numbers are rising or falling at any given time.”

Recoveries from COVID-19 in Alberta have reached 10,384. The number of active cases has dipped slightly to 1,090.

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There are 66 people in hospital in the province due to COVID-19, including 14 in intensive care.

Five additional deaths were reported bringing Alberta’s total to 213.

In the Central Zone there are 157 active cases and 380 recoveries. Eleven people are in hospital with none of them in intensive care. The number of deaths from the novel coronavirus in the Central Zone remains five.

Red Deer is shown as having 12 active cases, same as Friday, and 53 recoveries.

Elsewhere throughout Central Zone:

Red Deer County: 3 active, 23 recovered

Sylvan Lake: 0 active, 9 recovered

Innisfail: 2 active, 3 recovered

Lacombe: 2 active, 3 recovered

Lacombe County: 4 active, 14 recovered

Ponoka: 0 active, 7 recovered

Ponoka County: 1 active, 11 recovered

Olds: 0 active, 5 recovered

Didsbury: 1 active, 6 recovered

Mountain View County: 1 active, 7 recovered

Rocky Mountain House: 1 active, 3 recovered

Sundre: 0 active, 1 recovered

Stettler and County: 6 active, 38 recovered

Kneehill County: 3 active, 15 recovered, 1 death

Hinshaw addressed some of the most common questions she hears, including size of cohorts as school begins.

She said there is no single answer to that question.

“We do know that the more people you come in contact with, the greater your risk of exposure,” she said. “Parents, guardians and family members should look at their cohorts and assess if they are comfortable with the current size or if they need to shrink it as school begins.”

She recommended anyone in doubt should shrink their cohort for the first few weeks, then reassessing once the routines of school have been established.

As for COVID’s impact on pets, Hinshaw said there’s limited research but that there have been very few reports of domestic animals testing positive for COVID-19.

She said those have occurred in pets who have been in contact with people who tested positive for the virus.

“At this time, there is no evidence that domestic animals can transmit the disease to humans,” she said.

For masks, Hinshaw recommended clean cloth masks be stored in a sealed and clean storage bag in a dry area.

“If the mask becomes damp or soiled, it should be put into a separate breathable bag and taken home for washing,” she said. “When it comes time to clean them, empty the bags into the washing machine. Consider using a bag that can also be washed at the same time. Generally speaking, warm water is better but follow whatever directions are recommended for washing your masks material.’

Another common concern, said Hinshaw, is how long it takes for notification of positive test results. She said that is currently two days.

“This is too long. We have put some measures in place and are working on more to reduce this wait time and speed up other components of the testing process in the coming weeks,” said the chief medical officer of health, urging anyone who is feeling ill and has been tested to stay home, away from family and cohort members until test results return.

(With file from Chris Brown – CHAT News Today)