Alberta COVID-19 recoveries hit 877, testing expands to all Albertans with symptoms

Above is the Apr. 13 press briefing from the Chief Medical Officer Dr. Deena Hinshaw, scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

by Stephen Dafoe

Alberta added another 81 COVID-19 cases on Monday, bringing the provincial total to 1732. Recoveries in Alberta stand at 877, an increase of 54 since Sunday, and now represent 52 per cent of Alberta’s total cases to date. Deaths represent 2.6% of the total cases.

There were another two deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 46. The total of 1732 cases includes the number of recovered and the number of deaths.

Currently, 47 people are in hospital, 14 of whom have been admitted to intensive care units (ICU).

Alberta has conducted 77,007 tests to date, including 2465 in the past 24 hours. The past 24-hour testing period shows 3.3 per cent infection rate, slightly higher than the 2 per cent that has been the case for the past several weeks.

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Deena Hinshaw said Albertans could expect to start seeing higher case numbers as the province continues broadening those who are tested.

Effective immediately, testing is open to all Albertans experiencing a fever, cough, shortness of breath, runny nose or sore throat. Hinshaw said Albertans should first take the online COVID-19 self-evaluation.

SACRIFICES HELPING CONTROL SPREAD

Hinshaw said Albertan’s willingness to make sacrifices for the greater good has been the reason for Albertan’s lower-than-modelling rates. Hinshaw assured Albertans, including golfers that restrictions will not be in place forever and to trust that plans are being made to ease off measures in a way that will have the least impact.

If we were to ease off restrictions to quickly, we could potentially see spread like other jurisdictions have,” Hinshaw said, adding the closure of golf courses is another of the many sacrifices Albertans are being asked to make. “As we get to a point where we can think about easing restrictions, outdoor recreation is certainly one that list of things to be considered.We are not yet at that point where we can start easing off. That sacrifice, like all the other sacrifices we are asking Albertans are making is helping us to maintain that good perfomance that we’ve been able to have so far.”

CLINICAL TRIAL ON HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE

The province announced Monday that it was funding a provincewide clinical trial on the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). The Alberta Hope study will recruit 1,600 Albertans to determine if a prescribed five-day treatment of HCQ can prevent hospitalization for those at the highest risk of developing severe illness from COVID-19.

You can read the full story on the clinical trial at https://morinvillenews.com/2020/04/13/alberta-participating-in-hydroxychloroquine-clinical-trial/

Sturgeon County & St. Albert Numbers

Alberta Health’s geographical data for April 13 shows 10 cases in Sturgeon County and its municipalities, nine of whom have recovered. There have been no COVID-19 deaths in Sturgeon. St. Albert has 27 cases, of which 20 have recovered. St. Albert also has had no COVID-19-related deaths.

Up-to-the-minute information on COVID-19 in Alberta is available at https://www.alberta.ca/coronavirus-info-for-albertans.aspx?.

Local information on Morinville’s handling of the pandemic is online at http://morinville.ca/covid19.

Please note: Morinville News will not be covering the Daily Update through the Easter long weekend. Please consult the links below for the latest details. Morinville News will resume full coverage of local, provincial, and national news after the holiday weekend.

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4 Comments

  1. Basically, 809 active cases in Alberta
    1732 (total cases) – 46 (deaths) – 877 (recovered) = 809 (active)

    Good to see the high number of recoveries! Gives hope ❤️

  2. Anyone going to tell us where the 10 cases of COVID are located in Sturgeon County west? No breakdown? Or do we just assume all are in morinville?

    • There is currently, one active case.

      The Chief Medical Officer has said a few times that Alberta Health Services will not disclose locations unless there is a specific outbreak at a facility in one of the communities as they have done in a few instances now.

      Until recently, the map indicated Sturgeon West and Sturgeon East, and was generalized to Sturgeon County about a week ago.

      We asked for breakdown info when the first cases were identified in the County and were denied on the grounds of privacy. The Chief Medical Officer has reiterated that position in the daily briefings on a few occasions and we’ve included that info in our articles at the end.

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