The Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw provided a COVID-19 update from five days over the holidays on Dec. 28.
“First, I want to thank the many Albertans who respected the measures in place, and celebrated safely this Christmas,” Hinshaw said.
“Your selfless actions not only kept you and your family safe, but they also helped slow the spread of COVID-19 in your community and across our province. This is a wonderful gift to give others this holiday season,” she added. “I hope that all Albertans found a way to connect with family and friends in a meaningful way.”
On Dec. 23, 1007 new COVID-19 cases were identified, Dec. 24, 1191 new cases, Dec. 25 914 new cases, Dec. 26 459 new cases, and Dec. 27 917 new cases were reported.
“I’m pleased to report that we have continued to see a decline in our active case numbers over the last five days, it’s important to note that part of this decline has been due to less people presenting for testing, which is not surprising over the holidays,” Hinshaw said.
The positivity rate for Alberta from Dec. 23 to Dec. 27 ranged from 6.4 per cent to 9.6 per cent.
However, the trend in those needing hospital and ICU care for COVID-19 has not yet come down, as there are 878 people in the hospital including 148 in the ICU.
“My sympathies go out to those in hospital and to those who are supporting them, both their family and friends and the health care workers who have been spending their holidays caring for them,” Hinshaw said.
Throughout the holidays a total of 112 deaths were recorded, bringing Alberta’s total for COVID-19 deaths to 1002.
“My deepest condolences go out to the loved ones mourning the loss of those individuals who have passed away. Losing someone is never easy, but it is made even more difficult with the public health restrictions in place,” Hinshaw said.
Hinshaw encourages anyone who is dealing with loss or grief to reach out for support from family, friends, or the resources available through Alberta Health Services (AHS).
“There are safe ways to help you mourn, and you are not alone. We are not alone in this reality in Alberta either, around the world and across our country, people are mourning the loss of their loved ones,” Hinshaw said.
Adding, “Our actions to prevent spread, prevent more losses.”
A COVID-19 variant was also identified in an individual who travelled from the U.K. to Alberta.
“This individual did everything they were supposed to do, following quarantine and other public health measures,” Hinshaw said.
Going forward, the provincial government and health officials are having conversations with colleagues from other provinces and territories and taking a collaborative and coordinated approach.
“What we know right now, is there is some evidence that this variant may be more infectious, than other strains of the virus. As a precaution we’re making sure that we’re reducing the chance that we could get importation of many of these strains,” Hinshaw said.
Adding, “We’re being cautious while we wait for more information to emerge about this variant. At the moment we don’t have any evidence that it’s spreading widely in Alberta.”
The provincial government is recommending that anyone who has been in the U.K. or South Africa in the last 14 days get tested.
“It’s important to remember that the public health measures in place are protective against this variant, and the best thing we can do to protect each other is to follow them,” Hinshaw said.
Throughout the holidays, case notification and contracting tracing continued.
“Our contact tracing is continuing to work through the holidays and are reaching out to as many individuals as possible. I want to thank them and the Albertans who help them do their work by answering their questions and following their instructions,” Hinshaw said.
“I also want to give thanks to AHS for continuing to provide health care workers with their first shot of vaccine over the holidays,” she said.
Albertan’s following public health measures have contributed to the decline in cases, and Hinshaw is hopeful of the early trends.
“We must remain attentive to the orders in place and continue to follow them closely to make sure that we don’t see a spike in mid-January that ignites a dangerous spread in 2021. We must continue this work together so we can bring down the numbers of people needing hospital or ICU care for COVID-19,” Hinshaw said.
“Seeing lower numbers is a good sign, but we cannot become complacent, our health care system is still under significant pressure. Let’s finish the year strong by following both the details and the spirit of the public health orders that are in place,” she said.
Adding, “The new year holds a lot of promise, especially with the expanded rollout of vaccines in the coming weeks. Let’s start it on the right path, with lower case numbers and reduce spread.”
