Red Deer’s active cases continue to climb as Olymel outbreak levels out

Seven additional COVID-19 deaths were reported to Alberta Health in the last 24 hours to bring the province’s total as of Saturday to 1,818. One death previously reported as having COVID-19 as a contributor was removed following a recent post-mortem. One of the deaths reported today, which actually occurred Dec. 7, involves a woman in her 30s with comorbidities from Edmonton Zone.

Variant numbers reported Friday include 253 provincially, 246 of which are the UK version, and there are 53 in Central Zone, all of which are the UK version.

Furthermore, the province has vaccinated 165,527 people up around 5,000 in the past 24 hours, while 63,882 Albertans have been fully immunized, up around 2,400. There have been just 91 adverse events.

The number of active COVID-19 cases in Red Deer as of Saturday is 546, up 14 from yesterday. There have been 1,982 recoveries, an increase of 40, as the total number of cases attributed to Red Deer rose by 54 to a total of 2,550. The number of deaths in Red Deer because of COVID-19 remains 22.

On Friday, Red Deer topped all Alberta municipalities for the highest rate of active COVID-19 cases in the province at 500/100,000 people. The city is now up to 513.2/100,000 people, but sits third provincially behind Smoky Lake County (549/100,000 people) and Municipal District of Opportunity No. 17 (530.5/100,000 people). Those municipalities are much smaller, however, with 46 and 35 actual active cases, respectively.

For perspective, Calgary has 1,449 active cases and a rate of 106/100,000 people. Edmonton has just 957 active cases and is down to 92.2/100,000 people.

Alberta Health confirms that as of Saturday, there are 211 active cases linked to the COVID-19 outbreak at the Olymel pork processing facility in Red Deer, a decrease of one. There have been a total of 434 cases stemming from the outbreak there, which began in November, along with one death reported Jan. 28.

Active cases across Central Zone as of Saturday

Red Deer County: 40 (–)

Sylvan Lake: 14 (–)

Lacombe County: 14 (+3)

City of Lacombe: 19 (-4)

Ponoka County: 32 (+1)

Clearwater County: 8 (–)

Brazeau County: 8 (-1)

Mountain View County: 13 (+3)

Olds: 2 (–)

Kneehill County: 7 (–)

County of Stettler: 5 (–)

The Central Zone has 758 active cases as of Saturday, an increase of six, with 33 hospitalizations, up three, and seven patients in ICU, up one. All ICU patients in Central Zone are at Red Deer Regional Hospital.

The zone has had 102 deaths as a result of COVID-19, one of which was reported in the last 24 hours. That death involves a male in his 90s at at Bethany Meadows in Camrose where there is an outbreak. He passed away Feb. 18. The zone has had a total of 9,858 cases.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, will give her next update on Monday.

by Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

Red Deer’s active cases continue to climb as Olymel outbreak levels out

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