By Curtis Galbraith

COVID-19

Active COVID-19 cases drop in Alberta for the second day in a row; test results now available by text message

Sep 10, 2020 | 4:59 PM

Alberta’s active case count for COVID-19 has dropped for the second day in a row.

It is now at 1,494, down 91 from the 1,585 reported in Wednesday’s update. The most recent round of testing found 113 new cases out of 9,711 tests completed.

Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw says while the case count is lower, 1,494 is “still a concerning number.”

Five more people have died, bringing the total to 253. Dr. Hinshaw says the deaths occurred “over the last several days.” Two of those were in Mackenzie County, where 12 people have now died of COVID-19.

There have now been 13,557 Albertans who have recovered from the disease.

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Across the province 43 people are in hospital, down by two from yesterday, while the number of people in an intensive care unit remains at seven.

Grande Prairie’s active case count dropped by one to 13. The M.D of Spirit River added one new case and now has seven active.

Some other municipalities have also seen changes in their statistics. Updated numbers are as follows:

• City of Grande Prairie: 93 cases (13 actives, 78 recovered, two deaths)
• County of Grande Prairie: 46 cases (three actives, 43 recovered)
• M.D. of Greenview: 12 cases (zero actives, 11 recovered, one death)
• Birch Hills County: Three cases (All recovered)
• M.D. of Spirit River: 10 cases (seven actives, three recovered)
• M.D. of Smoky River: 74 cases (zero actives, 64 recovered, ten deaths)
• Big Lakes County: 48 cases (zero actives, 43 recovered, five deaths)
• M.D. of Lesser Slave River: 11 cases (six actives, five recovered)
• M.D. of Peace: 20 cases (six actives, 14 recovered)
• M.D. of Fairview: 16 cases (five actives, 11 recovered)
• Clear Hills County: 78 cases (19 actives, 58 recovered, one death)
• Northern Sunrise County: Six cases (All recovered)
• County of Northern Lights: 29 cases (10 actives, 19 recovered)
• Saddle Hills County: One case (One active, 0 recovered)
• Mackenzie County: 355 cases (64 actives, 279 recovered, 12 deaths)

Dr. Hinshaw also confirmed three outbreaks at Alberta schools. That includes a high school in Lethbridge and one elementary and one high school in Calgary. Each school has two confirmed cases. There are now 24 cases at 21 Alberta schools, up from the 16 reported on Wednesday.

“I want to stress that while we are calling these outbreaks, this is a very cautious use of the term. We are acting out of an abundance of caution by treating two cases who are in a school while infectious within a 14-day span as an outbreak even when the cases are within one family. This is an extremely low threshold to meet,” says Dr. Hinshaw, adding that all the cases are under investigation.

Hinshaw also mentioned at her press conference on Thursday that test results, positive and negative, can now be obtained through a text message or an automated phone call.

“Albertans will be able to select their choice of notification options when they book their appointments with Alberta Health Services. This is in addition to the existing automated system for negative results and of course the option to access MyHealth Records online,” said Dr. Hinshaw, adding that anyone who tests positive will still get a call from an AHS public health professional for follow-up and case manage.

Dr. Hinshaw also says text messages would go out as soon as test results are known. Calls or texts are also now available for test results on kids. Those would be sent to parents or guardians.

Hinshaw also announced on Thursday that indoor hot tubs, along with dry and steam saunas, can re-open but there must be enhanced cleaning and distancing measures in place. She says there have been no cases linked to outdoor hot tubs or whirlpools that were already allowed to open.