An illustration of COVID-19. (Associated Press)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

RISK STILL "LOW"

Seven cases of COVID-19 now confirmed in Alberta: chief medical officer of health

Mar 9, 2020 | 1:27 PM

The fifth, sixth and seventh cases of COVID-19, more commonly known as coronavirus, have been detected in Alberta, and each one has been confirmed, according to the province’s chief medical officer of health.

Deena Hinshaw shared details of the cases during a press conference Monday afternoon.

Case number five is a woman in her 70s who is a close contact of an Edmonton Zone man announced as having COVID-19 on March 8. She was also onboard a Grand Princess Cruise and returned home to Edmonton Zone on Feb. 21. Symptoms began after returning to Alberta.

Case number six is a man in his 30s who is a close contact of the Calgary Zone woman also announced on Sunday as having COVID-19. He had travelled to Ukraine, Netherlands and Turkey before returning to Alberta on March 2. His symptoms also began after his return.

The seventh is a woman in her 50s from Calgary Zone who was on board the MS Braemar cruise ship from Feb. 11 to Mar. 4. She developed symptoms after her return home on March 8.

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“These cases were detected thanks to the aggressive public health measures and expanded testing that we have put in place,” says Hinshaw. “By acting quickly to isolate close contacts of COVID-19 cases, we help prevent the virus’s spread and protect Albertans. While additional cases will likely be detected in the coming days, Albertans can trust that we are doing everything we can to protect their health.”

Hinshaw noted that more than 1000 tests for COVID-19 have taken place over the last two days in Alberta.

“Alberta and the rest of Canada are working extremely hard to detect and isolate COVID-19 to limit the spread in our communities,” says Health Minister Tyler Shandro. “I have every faith in our dedicated health-care providers and remind all Albertans that medical experts still consider the risk level to be low in our province.”

On Monday, British Columbia announced its first coronavirus-related death, a man at a North Vancouver care home diagnosed last week. B.C. has 32 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Ontario confirmed its 34th case on Monday.

Hinshaw maintains that the current risk for being exposed to COVID-19 in Alberta is low. She said ‘panic-buying’ of supplies such as toilet paper or hand sanitizer is not necessary. Five probable cases have been identified in Quebec.

Anyone who is feeling ill should stay home and not visit hospitals, long-term care facilities or supportive living accommodations. People in these locations are at the highest risk of complications from COVID-19, influenza and other respiratory viruses.

Alberta continues to ask all returning travellers from outside Canada to monitor their health and, if they experience symptoms of fever or cough, to immediately self-isolate and call Health Link 811.

Albertans are strongly encouraged to visit alberta.ca/COVID19 for advice on preparing for COVID-19, testing and other useful information.