More COVID-19 Outbreaks Declared

More COVID-19 Outbreaks Declared

Michelle Pinon
News Advertiser

More continuing care facilities in the region have been added to the Province’s COVID-19 outbreak list.

Those facilities include: the Vegreville Care Centre, Points West Living Heritage House in Vegreville, and Hillside Lodge in Two Hills, and Vialta Lodge in Viking.

Eagle Hill Lodge in Willingdon along with Bar-V-Nook Manor in Smoky Lake remain on the outbreak list. Acute care facilities on the outbreak list are: George McDougall Smoky Lake Healthcare Centre, St. Joseph’s General Hospital in Vegreville.

According to the Government of Alberta’s COVID-19 website, “Locations of outbreaks in acute care and continuing care facilities are reported publicly when there are two or more cases, indicating that a transmission within the facility has occurred.”

As of Dec. 16 there were 371 cases, 78 active cases, 292 recovered cases, and 1 death in Smoky Lake County. There were 80 cases, 26 active cases, 52 recovered cases, and 2 deaths in Veg/Minburn County. There were 95 cases, 38 active cases, 55 recovered cases and 2 deaths in Two Hills County. There were 51 cases, 11 active cases, 40 recovered cases, and 0 deaths in Lamont County. There were 62 cases, 9 active cases, 52 recovered cases and 1 death in Tofield (Beaver County West). There were 83 cases, 4 active cases, 79 recovered cases, and 0 deaths in Viking (Beaver County East).

There were 86,168 confirmed cases in Alberta, (1,571 on Dec. 16), 19,865 active cases, 65,513 recovered cases. A total of 763 people are in hospital with 138 people in intensive care. There have been 790 deaths to date, with 30 reported on Dec. 16 alone.