STAY CONNECTED: Have the stories that matter most delivered every night to your email inbox. Subscribe to our daily local news wrap.
Photo courtesy of Alberta Health / Government of Alberta
By Shaun Penner
COVID-19 UPDATE: January 18

COVID-19 death linked to outbreak at Prairie Lake Supportive Living

Jan 18, 2021 | 4:28 PM

Another death from COVID-19 linked to the outbreak at the Prairie Lakes Supportive Living facility in Grande Prairie has been reported by Alberta Health.

The death was one of 11 additional fatalities reported to Alberta Health in the last 24 hours and was a woman in her 60s which occurred on January 17. Alberta Health says comorbidities, in this case, are unknown at this time.

The death is the fourth to be linked to the home since January 14.

The 11 deaths in Alberta bring the province’s death toll from COVID-19 to 1,447. There have now been 14 deaths from COVID-19 complications in the City of Grande Prairie and 88 in all of the North Zone.

Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, says, by comparison, Alberta has seen an average of only 58 deaths per year from influenza over the last 10 years.

“So having lost an additional 11 people to COVID-19, which amounts to about 20 per cent of an average full year of influenza data, should not be taken lightly.”

The deaths were announced as the province added 474 new cases for January 17, following the completion of approximately 8,500 tests on Sunday. That created a positivity rate of approximately 5.4 per cent.

In the City of Grande Prairie, there were seven new cases to go along with nine more recoveries. There are now 190 active cases in the Swan City as of January 17.

Meantime, the County of Grande Prairie added one new case and one recovery, keeping the active case total there at 51.

Twelve new cases were recorded in the MD of Greenview on Sunday as well as 10 recoveries. The active case total there is 96, with 74 active cases in the Valleyview area and four in the Fox Creek area.

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

  • City of Grande Prairie: 1,020 cases (190 active, 816 recovered, 14 deaths)
  • County of Grande Prairie: 305 cases (51 active, 250 recovered, four deaths)
  • M.D. of Greenview: 271 cases (96 active, 174 recovered, one death)
  • Birch Hills County: Seven cases (all recovered)
  • M.D. of Spirit River: 42 cases (two active, 40 recovered)
  • Saddle Hills County: 14 cases (two active, 12 recovered)
  • M.D. of Smoky River: 97 cases (four active, 83 recovered, 10 deaths)
  • Big Lakes County: 411 cases (144 active, 261 recovered, six deaths)
  • M.D. of Lesser Slave River: 155 cases (31 active, 124 recovered)
  • M.D. of Peace: 333 cases (80 active, 253 recovered)
  • M.D. of Fairview: 56 cases (55 recovered, one death)
  • Clear Hills County: 105 cases (one active, 103 recovered, one death)
  • Northern Sunrise County: 204 cases (48 active, 157 recovered)
  • County of Northern Lights: 71 cases (one active, 70 recoveries)
  • Mackenzie County: 517 cases (37 active, 465 recovered, 15 deaths)

Hospitalizations in Alberta grew by one to 739 as of Sunday night, with ICU admissions down by three to 120. In the North Zone, 73 people are in hospital, eight of whom are in intensive care.

As of Sunday, 89,814 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Alberta. Premier Jason Kenney said Monday morning, though, that Alberta’s supply of vaccine has run out due to delays from Pfizer-BioNTech’s European plant.

FULL STORY: Alberta puts first doses on hold pending vaccine dose delivery improvements

by Shaun Penner