Alberta COVID-19 cases rise to May levels; Hinshaw says ‘absolutely critical’ to stay home if sick

Alberta has recorded 619 new cases of COVID-19 since Friday, over the four-day period through the long weekend.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw announced the new cases in a news conference Tuesday afternoon, where she said that there were 154 new cases from tests done on Sept. 4, 171 on Sept. 5, 137 on Sept. 6 and 157 from tests done on Sept. 7.

“I am concerned about the continued rise of new cases,” Hinshaw said. “Higher case numbers and more outbreaks can strain our front-line teams.”

1:47 Hinshaw provides COVID-19 numbers for Labour Day weekend in Alberta

The majority of new cases are in the Calgary and Edmonton areas, with 209 new cases in the Calgary zone and 266 new cases in the Edmonton zone.

There were also five more deaths reported over the weekend — including two residents of the Good Samaritan Southgate care centre, a man and woman in their 90s.

“These residents had improved and were considered to have recovered, but their conditions then worsened and sadly they passed away.”

The other three deaths recorded over the weekend were three men who were not in continuing care — one in his 50s and another in his 80s in Edmonton zone, as well as a man in his 50s in the North zone. This brings the total number of deaths in Alberta from COVID-19 to 247. Currently there are 45 people in hospital, with 10 in intensive care.

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“We continue to see a rise in cases, but we are not powerless here,”  Hinshaw said.

“Together, we can reverse the trend. We are in this together and we will get through this together.”

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There are now 1,692 active cases in the province — the highest number of active cases since May 9.

Monday’s numbers also mark 14 days in a row that Alberta has recorded new COVID-19 cases in the triple digits.

Hinshaw said that community transmission is increasing not only between close contacts, but also because some people aren’t staying home when they have symptoms.

“With the rise of new cases, we are looking closely at trends,” Hinshaw said. “One of the things that is showing up is a higher percentage of new cases that are close contacts of known cases. I know one of the things that will help with limiting spread from cases to their close contacts is improving our turnaround times to get results back to those who have been tested.”

“Another pattern we are seeing is those who have mild symptoms — sore throat, runny nose or nasal congestion — are not consistently staying home when those symptoms start.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Another pattern we are seeing is those who have mild symptoms — sore throat, runny nose or nasal congestion — are not consistently staying home when those symptoms start."

She said it is “absolutely critical” that Albertans stay home when they have any symptoms.

“What is a mild, short-lived illness for one person can be a life-threatening risk for others.”

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Hinshaw said that while cases in Alberta are increasing, they haven’t yet been increasing steeply enough to warrant additional restrictions.

A pattern has emerged showing household and small social group transmission, Hinshaw said.

“Those are difficult things to put formal restrictions on, which is why if we want to have the biggest impact on our numbers, it has to be that collective effort, with all of us digging in.”

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1:58 ‘School will reflect the transmission in the community’: Hinshaw discusses COVID-19 transmission in Alberta

School cases linked to community transmission, not within class yet: Hinshaw

As students returned Alberta schools returned last week, there have already been cases of COVID-19 reported at some schools around the province, including at least seven in Calgary.

Hinshaw said Tuesday that she was aware of at least 11 cases at 11 different schools.

“Currently, the cases in school appear to be from community transmission. They’re not linked to transmission within the schools,” Hinshaw said.

“We have known that with opening schools in person, it was absolutely expected that there would be infectious cases in schools — because there are infectious cases in our community.

“The reality is that we have to learn to live with COVID, and we have to learn to balance the risks of occasional exposures with the risks of keeping our children home… which has other long-term risks to their health and well-being.”

She said it was “too early” to evaluate Alberta’s school model — and if transmission continues, other models may be put into place.

However, she also said that students also need to keep the risks of transmission in mind as they interact with their classmates outside school settings.

“Students, that are understandably excited to see each other, are perhaps forgetting that COVID-19 doesn’t just live in the school,” Hinshaw said. “The risk is probably higher as they step out of the doors and start to congregate socially.”