Two more deaths, 97 new cases of COVID-19 in Alberta

Two more people in Alberta died from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, while testing revealed 97 new cases of the illness, bringing the total in the province to 968.

Public health officials think 108 of those cases were transmitted within the community, 14 more than Wednesday.

Thirteen people in Alberta have died from COVID-19 since the illness was first detected in the province on March 5.

The most recent deaths are a man in his 90s, a resident of McKenzie Towne long-term-care centre in Calgary, and a man in his 80s who lived at Manoir Du Lac care home in McLennan, 440 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.

"We now have 74 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in continuing care facilities, and I expect that more will be confirmed in the coming days," Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the province's chief medical officer of health, said Thursday at a news conference.

That includes 65 confirmed cases at the McKenzie Towne facility, which has recorded four deaths, and two new cases at the Manoir Du Lac home in the North zone. 

Additional outbreaks include Cedars Villa Extendicare, AgeCare Seton and Carewest Sarcee facilities in Calgary.

9 outbreaks at continuing-care facilities

The growing number of outbreaks at seniors facilities, now numbering nine, is worrisome, Hinshaw said.

Part of the problem is staff can work at more than one seniors facility, she said.

"Some of these [outbreaks] have been opened due to staff working both at the McKenzie Towne long-term care facility and another site, when these staff have been confirmed as a case."

Declaring outbreaks, she said, is a "precaution that we take to ensure that if there has been exposure by that staff who is now a confirmed case, that any measures needed to prevent spread within the second long-term care facility are taken immediately."

The province can declare an outbreak at a facility in three ways.

• A suspected outbreak means at least one person (staff or resident) has symptoms that are compatible with COVID-19.
• A probable outbreak means two or more residents or staff have symptoms compatible with COVID-19.
• A confirmed outbreak means one or more staff or residents has a confirmed case of COVID-19.

"I want to emphasize again [declaring] these outbreaks are a precaution based on staff positive testing," Hinshaw said.

She said residents and their families are naturally concerned about the outbreaks and promised she and her team are doing everything possible to protect them from COVID-19.

New standards for facilities

On March 20, Hinshaw ordered that all visitors to these facilities be limited to only those who are essential. She has since issued updated standards for operators and staff, including enhanced cleaning protocols and health screening measures.

"However, it has become clear over the past couple of days that we must do more to protect more in congregate settings," she said.

"That is why, effective today, I am issuing new standards that operators and staff of these facilities must follow in the event of a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 outbreak.

"These new standards, enforceable by law, will help ensure that those living and working in congregate settings are kept as physically safe as possible, and will mitigate the risk of further spread within and between different facilities."

Under the new orders, staff and operators will be required to notify public health as soon as a case is suspected or confirmed, and if two or more residents exhibit COVID-like symptoms.

"Staff who may work at multiple facilities are required, when there is a confirmed outbreak, to immediately inform their supervisors if they have worked at, or are working at, a facility where there is a confirmed or suspected case."

So far, more than 57,000 people in the province have been tested for the coronavirus. The province is now performing 4,000 tests a day, Hinshaw said. 

Albertans have been warned that the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic may be more than a month away.

Here is a breakdown of cases and deaths by region:

• Calgary zone: 589 cases, seven deaths
• Edmonton zone: 247 cases, three deaths
• Central zone: 59 cases
• North zone: 55 cases, three deaths
• South zone: 14
• Unknown: 4  

Six of the 13 people who have died were residents of continuing-care centres.

The measures being taken by the province are intended to slow the spread of the virus, Hinshaw said, because a certain percentage of those who get sick will end up in hospital or ICU.

"If we allow it to spread widely, it would overwhelm our health system and we would end up in a situation like we've seen in other countries, where there are too many people to receive adequate care, and people end up dying not just from COVID but from other diseases that may need hospital care when all the hospital beds are full with COVID."

As time passes, more research is being done to identify treatments and one day perhaps a vaccine, though that would likely be several months away, she said.

Down the road, she said, it will be possible to ease off on some social restrictions while remaining focused on control of individual cases of COVID.

But she cautioned that even when restrictions are lifted, people with COVID-19 and their close contacts will still need to be isolated, and that particular measure will be in place for many months.

"But the other society-wide restrictions, I anticipate again that we will likely need to have those in place for some months, when we look at the spread of this, because if we start to ease them off, we will see spread start to increase again.

"I know that that's challenging, but unfortunately these measures are all that we have to protect each other."