The City of Grande Prairie is now under an Alberta Health COVID-19 watch status with 55.6 active cases per 100,000 people (Photo: Government of Alberta)

By Shaun Penner

COVID-19 UPDATE

City of Grande Prairie under COVID-19 watch status, outbreak announced at Walmart

Oct 13, 2020 | 4:15 PM

Alberta’s chief medical officer of health says she has been in contact with health officials in the City of Grande Prairie, as active case numbers have pushed the Swan City into a watch status for COVID-19.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw says those conversations come as there were 17 new cases reported in the City over the long weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday), bringing the active case total in the City to 41 as of the end of day October 12.

Having surpassed the threshold of 50 active cases per 100,000, Alberta Health has placed the City on its watch list. However, Dr. Hinshaw says no additional measures or restrictions are planned for the City at this time.

“The majority of those cases seem to be linked to a single, large outbreak. It doesn’t seem at this time that there is any really significant community risk.”

Hinshaw did not disclose specifically where the outbreak was located, however, Tom McMillan with Alberta Health has confirmed to EverythingGP that an outbreak at Walmart Supercentre in Grande Prairie has been declared, where there are nine active cases linked to the store with one recovery.

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Hinshaw says this serves as a reminder that workplaces do need to ensure that health and safety protocols are being followed, especially if it is a public service business.

“It’s also a reminder that there is no part of the province that is spared from COVID-19, and rural areas that haven’t previously seen many cases, again, it can just take a few active cases showing up in a location where measures are not being put in place… to, unfortunately, go from one or two active cases to many.”

Elsewhere in the Peace Region, there were two new cases identified in the County of Grande Prairie along with two recoveries, keeping the active case total at five. One new case was also reported in the MD of Greenview along with one recovery, leaving the active case total at one.

Updated case totals among Peace Region municipalities as of the end of day October 12 are as follows:

• City of Grande Prairie: 146 cases (41 active, 103 recovered, two deaths)
• County of Grande Prairie: 67 cases (five active, 62 recovered)
• M.D. of Greenview: 17 cases (one active, 15 recovered, one death)
• Birch Hills County: Five cases (two actives, three recovered)
• M.D. of Spirit River: 14 cases (three active, 11 recovered)
• Saddle Hills County: Three cases (one active, two recovered)
• M.D. of Smoky River: 75 cases (two actives, 63 recovered, ten deaths)
• Big Lakes County: 48 cases (three active, 43 recovered, five deaths)
• M.D. of Lesser Slave River: 18 cases (one active, 16 recovered, one death)
• M.D. of Peace: 28 cases (three active, 25 recovered)
• M.D. of Fairview: 16 cases (all recovered)
• Clear Hills County: 92 cases (two actives, 89 recovered, one death)
• Northern Sunrise County: Nine cases (all recovered)
• County of Northern Lights: 57 cases (one active, 56 recovered)
• Mackenzie County: 415 cases (seven active, 395 recovered, 13 deaths)

The province added a total of 961 cases over the last four days (263 on Friday, 259 on Saturday, 246 on Sunday and 220 on the holiday Monday). There are now 2,615 active cases of COVID-19 in Alberta, to go along with 18,055 recoveries.

Four more deaths were linked to COVID-19 over the long weekend, bringing the death toll related to COVID-19 to 286 as of October 12 in Alberta.

Hospitalizations increased to 97 as of the end of day Monday in Alberta, with 13 of those individuals in intensive care. In the North Zone, six people are in hospital with two in intensive care.

The province’s increase in cases comes as the provincial lab processed over 58,000 tests between Friday and Monday. In the North Zone, 111,727 people have been tested, an increase of 3,038 people since October 8.