The province has reported seven COVID-19 related deaths since Tuesday, all of them in continuing care facilities in Calgary. There are currently 503 confirmed cases in long-term or continuing care facilities.
Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw has now updated her public health orders to reflect these numbers.
“Anyone with a mild symptom, such as a hoarse voice, or muscle aches, must immediately be tested for COVID-19 and must be isolated until tests come back.”
Dr. Hinshaw says, additionally, as soon as a COVID-19 case is identified in a facility, all residents in the same unit will be tested even if they are feeling fine and show no symptoms.
“This has been a recommendation for several weeks, and it is now incorporated into the order to underline the importance of early diagnosis in close contacts in this population.”
The province has confirmed 315 cases of COVID-19 over the last 24 hours, bringing the total across Alberta to 5,165. The AHS North zone, which spans all of northern Alberta, had an additional three cases confirmed Wednesday, for a total of 202.
The County of Grande Prairie has two active cases of COVID-19 in total, as updated data from AHS shows three of its five total cases are now considered recovered. The City of Grande Prairie currently has no active cases.