The number of active cases of COVID-19 continue to drop in Alberta, however hospitalizations and deaths have gone up.

29 new cases of COVID-19 have been identified in the province. There are currently seven more people receiving treatment in hospital, for a total of 50. Four people are in intensive care.

Two more people have died, bringing the death toll to 143. To date, 6,160 Albertans have recovered from COVID-19 and 652 cases remain active province-wide.

In Airdrie, numbers remain unchanged as there are three active cases, 43 recoveries, and one person has died. In Rocky View County, numbers are also steady with four active cases and 40 recoveries.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw did not hold a press conference on Thursday, but during her update on Wednesday, she used a metaphor about goslings to describe how we should look at the COVID-19 measures. She said she was driving with her family last weekend and noticed traffic was slowing down ahead.

"When we got closer, we saw two large pickup trucks driving slowly on either side of a median between an exit ramp and the main road," Hinshaw described. "It wasn't apparent until driving by them that they were escorting a Canada goose and her goslings, protecting them from oncoming traffic. I love this image of Albertans protecting the most vulnerable and the vehicles around them being patient and accommodating, giving them space to get the goslings to safety."

Hinshaw said the individuals in the trucks did not do this because it was required of them, but because it was the right thing to do.

"We can all emulate this behaviour in our daily lives by considering what we are able to do to make it safer for those around us. It might be inconvenient and even awkward to adjust to measures like wearing masks when we are around others in public or always staying home when we are sick. But if we remember why we are doing this, that our collective actions are to prevent severe illness and death, we are reminded why our actions matter."

Hinshaw wants Albertans to remember that COVID-19 was and is a deadly disease.

"When we look at the impact of COVID-19 on a global scale, during the peak of global deaths in April, the number of weekly deaths being reported was higher than lung cancer, road injuries, diabetes, or suicide," Hinshaw said. "Even with unprecedented efforts to stop spread, the cumulative global death count so far this year for COVID-19 is higher than what would be expected for year to date global deaths from malaria or homicides."

Hinshaw also spoke about the comparison of COVID-19 to the seasonal flu.

"Closer to home, while this is often compared to influenza, our current COVID-19 death toll in Alberta is 1.5 times higher than the highest annual influenza death number in the last five years, and we have never taken such measures to prevent influenza from circulating."

 

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