Alberta reported another 1,240 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday.
That’s out of 18,306 tests for a positivity rate of about 6.8 per cent.
The number of active cases now sits at 19,165, a decrease of 36.
There have now been 71,434 recovered cases in the province, an increase of 1,267.
There are now 795 Albertans in hospital because of COVID-19, an increase of 35, including 151 in ICU, an increase of two.
An additional nine deaths related to COVID-19 were reported to bring Alberta’s total to 860.
In Red Deer, the number of active cases sits at 415, a decrease of 16 from Sunday. The number of recoveries has risen by 43 to 845 as the total number of cases attributed to the city rose by 27 to 1,262.
Red Deer County has 85 active cases of COVID-19 as of Monday, a decrease of five, while Sylvan Lake has 25, a decrease of two.
Lacombe County now sits with 43 active cases, down one. The city of Lacombe also edged down one to 26 active cases.
In Ponoka County there are 366 active cases, up 52.
Clearwater County (Rocky Mountain House) has 50 active cases as of Monday, a decrease of two.
Mountain View County has 36 active cases, Olds has 29 and Kneehill County has 23. The County of Stettler has 25 active cases of COVID-19 as of Monday.
There are now 1,551 active cases across the Central zone, an increase of 43, and 72 hospitalizations, unchanged from Sunday. There are nine people in the zone currently in intensive care. The Central zone has had 34 deaths related to COVID-19, unchanged over the last 24 hours.
The province released updated reproductive values (R-value) on Monday. Alberta’s R-value sits at 0.92, Edmonton Zone 0.89, Calgary Zone 0.97 and the rest of the province at 0.90.
(An R-value of 1.0 would indicate that each person with the virus is, on average, infecting one other person).
“The positive signs that I mentioned on Friday have continued through the weekend, but our situation is still serious,” Dr. Deena Hinshaw said on Monday. “Our new case numbers are still extremely high, and our health care system remains under severe strain.”
Alberta’s chief medical officer of health stressed that, “This week, we must redouble our efforts and celebrate this early trend downwards, by continuing the actions that will eventually bring our hospitalization and ICU numbers low enough to support access to the system for all health care needs.”
Hinshaw also used her daily news conference on Monday to clear up confusion over some of the enhanced COVID-19 public health restrictions currently in place in the province.
Some of that confusion, Hinshaw said, was around what can take place when it comes to outdoor recreation.
For example, is shinny or outdoor hockey allowed?
“The answer is no. Any outdoor activity where individuals come within two metres of each other is not allowed,” Hinshaw said.
“Skating or other outdoor activities can continue with up to 10 people, but all members of different households must stay at least two metres apart the whole time.”
Hinshaw said the province will be updating the “sport and physical fitness” section of its COVID-19 website to address these questions. She said they’ll also be having discussions with law enforcement to ensure that the rules are clear to them as well.
Dr. Hinshaw also addressed Monday a question over whether individuals who have tested positive and gone into isolation need to be re-tested and get a negative result before returning to work or normal activities.
“Again, the answer is no,” she explained. “If you test positive and isolate for the required, mandatory period, there is no need to be tested again.”
Hinshaw added that, “Evidence is clear that unless an individual has an immune compromising condition, they are not infectious to others after 10 days have passed from the start of their symptoms, as long as their symptoms have resolved. Re-testing someone within 90 days of a positive test is not effective or appropriate, unless this test is ordered by their doctor.”
For employers seeking clarity around when staff can return to work, Hinshaw noted that Alberta Health Services (AHS) does provide a text message to anyone who tests positive at the point in time when their isolation period is over and it is safe for them to get back to work.
Hinshaw also took a moment on Monday to remind employers whose staff have tested positive for COVID-19, or who are a close contact of a case, that these staff are legally required to isolate at home until their isolation or quarantine period has ended.
“They should not be pressured to return to work before this time, as this puts everyone in the workplace at risk.”
