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Photo: Government of Alberta
By Shaun Penner
COVID-19 UPDATE: December 4

Five new COVID-19 cases in Grande Prairie, five recoveries

Dec 4, 2020 | 3:56 PM

The City of Grande Prairie recorded five new cases of COVID-19 for Thursday alongside five recoveries, holding the City’s active case total to 82 as of December 3.

The County of Grande Prairie added four new cases alongside eight recoveries, dropping the active caseload there to 16.

Eight recoveries and no new cases were recorded in the MD of Greenview for December 3, where there are now 22 active cases, half of which are in the Valleyview area.

Updated case totals among Peace Region municipalities as of the end of day December 3 are as follows:

  • City of Grande Prairie: 513 cases (82 active, 427 recovered, four deaths)
  • County of Grande Prairie: 179 cases (16 active, 162 recovered, one death)
  • M.D. of Greenview: 97 cases (22 active, 74 recovered, one death)
  • Birch Hills County: Six cases (all recovered)
  • M.D. of Spirit River: 31 cases (two active, 29 recovered)
  • Saddle Hills County: Eight cases (all recovered)
  • M.D. of Smoky River: 80 cases (one active, 69 recovered, ten deaths)
  • Big Lakes County: 67 cases (12 active, 50 recovered, five deaths)
  • M.D. of Lesser Slave River: 69 cases (32 active, 37 recovered)
  • M.D. of Peace: 140 cases (32 active, 108 recovered)
  • M.D. of Fairview: 52 cases (one active, 50 recovered, one death)
  • Clear Hills County: 98 cases (97 recovered, one death)
  • Northern Sunrise County: 29 cases (13 active, 16 recovered)
  • County of Northern Lights: 69 cases (three active, 66 recovered)
  • Mackenzie County: 436 cases (eight active, 415 recovered, 13 deaths)

The province added 1,828 new cases for Thursday after 17,186 tests were processed.

Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw says the province’s positivity rate now sits at 10.5 per cent.

“This positivity rate is a grim milestone and one that should concern us all,” said Hinshaw.

Hospitalizations jumped to 533 in Alberta as of the end of day Thursday, 99 of those patients are in intensive care.

Of those 533 people in hospital, 282 are in the Edmonton Zone and another 167 in the Calgary Zone. Alberta Health Services President and CEO Dr. Verna Yiu said contingency plans are in the works to create “low acuity mobile medical units”, or field hospitals, in both Edmonton and Calgary as hospital space quickly begins to fill up.

“While there is not a current need, it is clear Alberta’s health-care system is under significant stress, given the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the province,” said Yiu, “AHS must prepare for all scenarios.”

Dr. Yiu says the beds, should they be required, would be for patients who are on the road to recovery but are not quite ready to leave the hospital because of COVID-19 complications.

Meantime, in the North Zone, 26 people are in hospital as of Thursday, two of whom are in intensive care.

Another 15 deaths related to COVID-19 in Alberta were reported on Friday. A total of 590 deaths have now been recorded due to COVID-19 since March.

by Shaun Penner