By Troy Gillard

Variant seen in India arrives in Alberta

Red Deer nears record with 544 active COVID cases, Alberta sees third-highest daily increase

Apr 22, 2021 | 4:19 PM

The number of active COVID-19 cases in Red Deer has surged back past the 500-mark.

Thursday’s numbers from the province show 544 active cases in the city, up 61 from Tuesday’s total of 483 (updated local numbers were not available Wednesday).

The record for Red Deer was 574 active cases reported on Feb. 24.

“The rate of infection in our community and region over the past week is of significant concern. We need to do everything we can to reduce the spread by following public health guidelines,” said Mayor Tara Veer. “Vaccines offer long-term hope of resuming something closer to normal life in the months ahead; but right now, we are still experiencing increased numbers across our city and province and we need to elevate our local efforts to minimize community spread.”

Recoveries are up 48 over the past two days to 3,251 as the total number of COVID-19 cases in Red Deer went up 109 to a total of 3,831.

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The number of deaths in Red Deer stemming from COVID-19 remains 36.

Elsewhere locally as of Thursday (by municipality):

Red Deer County – 135 active cases

Sylvan Lake – 58

Lacombe County – 80

Lacombe – 102

Ponoka County – 154

Brazeau County – 66

Clearwater County (Rocky Mtn. House) – 40

Mountain View County – 85

Olds – 81

Kneehill County – 39

Stettler and County – 20

There are now 1,994 active cases across the Central Zone, and 56 hospitalizations which include five in the ICU at Red Deer Regional Hospital. There have been 130 deaths in the zone stemming from COVID-19.

Alberta as a whole reported 1,857 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday. That’s the highest total so far in the third wave and the third-highest single day total of the pandemic.

1,326 variant cases of concern were identified over the past day.

There were 17,524 tests completed over the past 24 hours leaving Alberta’s positivity rate at 10.7 per cent.

“These are concerning numbers that underline the fact that we have work to do together,” said Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health.

Alberta now has 9,182 active cases of COVID-19, 60 per cent of which are variant cases.

Hinshaw said the province has confirmed its first case of B.1.617 variant, first identified in Denmark and causing havoc in India, in an interprovincial traveler returning to Alberta. Hinshaw is calling it a “variant of interest” at this time.

There are 518 Albertans in hospital because of COVID-19, including 116 in intensive care. Hinshaw said it’s important to remember hospitalizations are a lagging indicator and those in hospital were likely first infected around two to three weeks ago.

“Given how high our leading indicators – growth rate, new cases and positivity rate – have been, we can expect to see this number (hospitalizations) grow in the coming days. We must bend this curve down to prevent these severe outcomes and the subsequent impact on our health-care system.”

Another six deaths linked to COVID-19 were reported in the past 24 hours to bring the province’s total to 2,054.

A total of 1,275,287 vaccine doses have been delivered in Alberta as of April 21, including over 42,300 on Wednesday.

There are now active COVID-19 alerts at 612 Alberta schools (25 per cent) with 3,502 cases linked to schools across the province since January.

Hinshaw also announced a change to the timing of second doses of vaccine for select groups.

Effective April 23, Albertans who have received solid organ or stem cell transplants, are currently undergoing specific immune compromising treatments such as chemotherapy and immunotherapy, or are being treated with an anti-CD20 monolocal antibody can book a second dose of vaccine 21 to 28 days after the first. Appointments can only be booked by calling 811.

(With file from Chris Brown – CHAT News Today)