Two more people have died in relation to the COVID-19 outbreak at Red Deer Regional Hospital. (rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Troy Gillard

active cases down to 171

Red Deer adds two more COVID-19 deaths, both linked to hospital outbreak

Jan 19, 2021 | 4:02 PM

The number of active COVID-19 cases in Red Deer as of Tuesday sits at 171, which is down 13 from Monday.

There have been 1,527 recoveries, an increase of 20 as the total number of COVID-19 cases attributed to the city rose by nine to 1,715.

Sadly, two more COVID-19 deaths were reported for Red Deer on Tuesday to bring the city’s total to 17. Both deaths – a man in his 80s and a woman in her 80s – occurred Jan. 16 and are linked to the outbreak at Red Deer Regional Hospital. Both cases included comorbidities.

Meantime, Alberta confirmed another 456 cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday. That’s out of 8,258 test results over the past 24 hours for a positivity rate of 5.6 per cent.

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There are now 11,096 active cases in Alberta, down 827 from Monday. The province recorded another 1,267 recoveries on Tuesday to bring that total to 105,208.

The number of Albertans hospitalized due to COVID-19 as of Tuesday sits at 740, an increase of one. That includes 119 people in intensive care, one less than Monday.

Alberta has administered 92,315 vaccine doses, including 2,501 on Monday.

An additional 17 COVID-19 deaths were reported to Alberta Health in the last 24 hours. There was also a previously reported death since determined to not have COVID-19 as a contributing cause and removed from the provincial reporting. This leaves Alberta’s fatality count from COVID-19 at 1,463.

The Central Zone has 1,050 active cases as of Tuesday, down 98 from Monday, with 58 hospitalizations, a decrease of two. There are nine people in intensive care at Red Deer Regional Hospital, a decrease of one.

Five COVID-19 deaths were reported in the Central Zone over the past 24 hours to bring the total to 75. They include:

1. Jan. 16 – A male in his 80s linked to the outbreak at Points Living West (Wetaskiwin). The case included comorbidities.

2. Jan. 16 – A female in her 80s linked to the outbreak at Red Deer Regional Hospital. The case included comorbidities.

3. Jan. 16 – A male in his 80s linked to the outbreak at Red Deer Regional Hospital. The case included comorbidities.

4. Jan. 16 – A male in his 60s. Comorbidities are unknown at this time.

5. Jan. 16 – A female in her 70s. There are no known comorbidities at this time.

Red Deer County has 42 active cases as of Tuesday, a decrease of three, and has now recorded its first COVID-19 death.

Sylvan Lake now has 31 active cases, down three from Monday.

Lacombe County has 20 active cases as of Tuesday, down three, and the city of Lacombe has 22, down one.

There are 85 active cases in Clearwater County (Rocky Mountain House), a decrease of two. Ponoka County has 349 active cases. Mountain View County has 22 active cases, down five, Olds has 18, down six, and Kneehill County remains with seven. Stettler and County remains with six active cases as of Tuesday.

Hinshaw could not say on Tuesday when more of the province’s public health restrictions might be eased.

She said everyone must continue supporting each other and doing everything possible to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and to protect our health system for a little while longer.

“The more successful we can be at this reduction, the sooner we are in a position where we can consider safely and slowly relaxing other measures in the days and weeks ahead.”

“Our positivity rate is declining but it is still well above the one-to-three per cent we saw for most of the summer and the fall,” said Hinshaw.

She added testing numbers overall are declining compared to last month. She said there could be many factors and one might be fewer people getting sick and needing to be tested, and urged anyone with symptoms to stay home and book an appointment to be tested as soon as possible.

She also asked for patience from people regarding vaccines – both first dose and second dose – as Pfizer announced on Tuesday that none of its vaccine will be delivered to Canada next week.

She said second dose vaccines for high-risk individuals and other who received their first dose is the top priority.

Only 171,093 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will arrive in Canada over the next two weeks, instead of the 417,300 doses previously expected.

Hinshaw said Alberta has identified 12 cases of the COVID variant originally identified in the U.K. and two of the variant originally identified in South Africa. She added there is so far no evidence of community spread.

(With file from Chris Brown – CHAT News Today)