Alberta's cases continue to rise despite new COVID-19 restrictions
Another 41 people died with COVID-19 in Alberta over the weekend.
Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw spoke at a livestreamed press conference on Monday to update the province on the current coronavirus situation.
She said that, even with the new restrictions that were put into place just under two weeks ago, cases are still rising in the province.
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The Province of Alberta’s updated coronavirus numbers show that 41 more people have died with coronavirus since Friday, an additional 1,735 cases were detected on Sunday, and active cases have now surpassed the 20,000 mark, landing at 20,067 as of Monday, December 7.
There are now 609 people in Alberta hospitals, 108 of which are in ICUs — the highest hospitalization rates that the province has seen all pandemic.
“The continued rise in new cases and hospitalizations underscores the seriousness of the situation we now face,” Hinshaw said.
“I will be blunt. So far, we are not bending the curve back down. We are still witnessing very high transmission of the virus, which is putting enormous pressure on our hospitals, intensive care units, and healthcare workers.”
The increased restrictions were announced for the province nearly two weeks ago on Tuesday, November 24, with many of the new public health measures having a tentative three-week deadline.
Hinshaw had previously noted that if a significant change in case numbers is seen as a result of increased restrictions, it is usually observable roughly two weeks after implementation.
If Alberta’s COVID-19 numbers do not improve, the restrictions may have to be extended into the holidays.
“I am more concerned than ever before about the spread of this virus,” Hinshaw said.
“Every one of us needs to be a part of the response, and we need to come together to protect each other.”
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