By Troy Gillard

THURSDAY UPDATE

Red Deer remains at eight active COVID-19 cases

Sep 17, 2020 | 3:58 PM

The number of active COVID-19 cases in the Central Zone continues to drop.

Thursday’s update shows 29 active cases across the zone, a decrease of three over the past 24 hours.

Active cases in Red Deer once again held steady at eight, while recoveries are listed at 95.

Sylvan Lake and Lacombe County each have one active case while Ponoka County is reporting two active cases.

Across the province, there are 146 new cases in Thursday’s update.

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The total number of COVID-19 cases across the province stands at 16,274. There are 1,483 active cases, down 12 from Wednesday, and 14,573 recovered cases, up 194.

There are currently 41 Albertans in hospital, eight in ICU. There have been 254 deaths.

The province conducted 13,003 tests in the past 24 hours.

To date, AHS has confirmed 64 individuals with COVID-19 were present at schools while infectious. Currently, 40 out of 2,415 schools in the province have reported an infectious case that attended the school.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the province’s chief medical officer of health, said Thursday that Alberta is facing a challenge in the coming winter months and that testing is being shifted to a more targeted approach.

“We will continue testing any Albertan with symptoms, while targeting asymptomatic testing for those who most need it and where it is most likely to identify positive cases,” she said. “This is the best way to limit the spread of COVID-19 and to protect the health of Albertans during the winter and flu season.”

Anyone with symptoms, any close contacts of a confirmed case and anyone liked to an outbreak will continue to be tested

Asymptomatic testing and those with no known exposure will continue to be offered to priority groups. Those include residents and staff in congregate settings, health-care workers, school teachers and staff and homeless people.

“Asymptomatic testing is no longer recommended for other Albertans who have no symptoms and have no known exposure to COVID-19,” said Hinshaw.

Hinshaw said that Alberta and every other province in Canada must prepare for a surging demand for tests this winter.

With cold and flu symptoms being similar to those of COVID-19 and people spending more time indoors and therefore in close contact, there will be an increase in the number of people needing to be tested, said the chief medical officer of health.

Hinshaw began Thursday’s update by issuing a correction to previously reported numbers regarding the rate of positive tests among asymptomatic people and those with no known COVID exposure. She said it has yielded on average seven positive results per 10,000 people tested, not per 1,000 people tested as was reported.

She said that “emphasizes the fact that this testing is not contributing significantly to the new cases we are seeing.”