Central zone down to 19 active COVID-19 cases

Red Deer has now has seven active cases of the novel coronavirus, down one from Wednesday, and 100 recoveries.

The Central zone as a whole now sits with 19 cases, a decrease of one from Wednesday, and 635 recoveries, an increase of three.

Red Deer County now has two active cases, an increase of one, while Sylvan Lake and Lacombe County each have one. Ponoka County continues to have five and Mountain View County has eight.

In light of the province’s report on opioid deaths released Wednesday, Dr. Deena Hinshaw began her update by saying it will take many years for the full impact the pandemic has had and is still having on the mental, physical and emotional health of Albertans.

“The report released yesterday shows the challenge that many Albertans who use opioids and other substances have faced, and the dire impact that this pandemic has had on their lives,” she said.

The report found that 449 people died from unintentional opioid poisoning in the first six months of 2020 and that 301 of those deaths were between April and June.

“That is a staggering number,” said the chief medical officer of health. “It can’t be ignored that deaths rose during the first few months of the pandemic, which I know caused challenges for many Albertans.”

She said that included problems accessing supports and increased isolation.

She added COVID prevention policies have been continually adjusted to lessen the barriers to support and treatment faced by people who use drugs.

Help is available and you are not alone, Hinshaw said. She asked those who use drugs not to do so alone and that anyone seeking help can call 1-866-332-2322 at any time to access support or Help in Tough Times on the AHS website and too check in with family and friends often.

She said the rise in deaths from opioid poisoning is a reminder that the ripple effects of COVID-19 are large and that we need to continue seeking a balance in our response.

“We must embrace two needs at once – the need to minimize the impact of COVID-19 and the need to minimize the impact that these restrictions have on the rest of our health.”

There are now 32 schools in the province where outbreaks have been declared. Alberta Health’s threshold for declaring an outbreak in school is two cases being in a school while infectious within 14 days. Four schools are in “Watch” status – St. Wilfrid Elementary School in Calgary and Austin O’Brien High School, Vimy Ridge Academy and Highlands School in Edmonton.

No local schools are classified as having outbreaks on the provincial website.

Thirteen Alberta schools that previously had alerts have had no transmission and students and staff are now back in class.

Hinshaw said that data has shown that the weekly number of cases in those aged five to 18 has been most impacted by community transmission trends.

She said the stats highlight the need to limit community transmission to make school re-entry successful.

by Troy Gillard

Central zone down to 19 active COVID-19 cases

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