Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Grande Prairie (EverythingGP file photo)

By Shane Clausing

Contact Tracing

AHS announces changes to COVID-19 close contact notification

Nov 6, 2020 | 12:05 PM

With new COVID-19 cases continuing to rise across the province, Alberta Health Services has announced changes to how it will conduct its COVID-19 contact tracing.

Starting on Friday, November 6, AHS will directly notify close contacts of cases of COVID-19 cases in three priority groups only:

• Health care workers
• Minors (who were exposed at school settings)
• Individuals who live or work within congregate or communal facilities

This comes after Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, said during her Thursday COVID-19 news conference that the province’s contact tracers are becoming overwhelmed.

Hinshaw added that this is a temporary move until the province can hire more contact tracers.

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Anyone who was not mentioned in the three priority groups who have tested positive for COVID-19 must notify their own close contacts about the exposure.

Event organizers will also be directed to notify attendees of any exposures and workplaces will be informed by AHS of a case and directed to notify employees.

AHS will continue to directly contact people who test positive for COVID-19 to notify them about their results.

A close contact is someone who was within two metres of a positive case of COVID-19 for more than 15 minutes, even if a mask was worn during that period. Close contacts are also someone who has had direct contact with bodily fluid (a sneeze) or who provided direct care for someone who has COVID-19.

With these changes, Albertans are being encouraged to limit their social bubble. This is so the case numbers can hopefully come down. Currently, 40 per cent of the active cases in Edmonton and Calgary are linked to close contacts.

The province has created a new website to support Albertan’s who need to notify close contacts.