Thread by @CMOH_Alberta

There are 795 people in hospital, including 151 in ICU. Sadly, 9 new deaths were reported in the last 24 hrs. My thoughts are with all those mourning a family member or friend right now, whether it is from COVID-19 or any other cause. (2/11)

This weekend, the federal government restricted incoming flights from the UK for 72 hrs in response to a genetic variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 circulating in the UK that appears to be more easily transmitted person-to-person. (3/11)

While this is not fully confirmed, there is sufficient evidence to prompt action. At this time, the variant does not appear to cause more severe symptoms or impact how the body responds to the virus, lab testing performance, or the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines. (4/11)

The Public Health Agency of Canada is monitoring the situation closely & working w/ intnl partners, incl the World Health Organization, to better understand this variant & its impacts. So far, no variants with the same set of mutations have been identified in Canada. (5/11)

The measures we already have in place work against this variant as well. It is not uncommon for new strains to emerge. However, we are taking this seriously & ask travellers from the UK in the past 14 days to immediately get tested, even if they don’t have symptoms. (6/11)

This new strain is yet another reminder that we cannot let our guard down with COVID-19. This is a challenging and evolving virus, and it can and will spread quickly if given a chance. (7/11)

91K+ cases have now been diagnosed in AB. R value for the last 7 days = 0.92 incl R Value of 0.89 in YEG Zone & 0.97 in YYC Zone. Positive signs continue, but the situation is still very serious. New cases remain very high & our health care remains under severe strain. (8/11)

This week, we must redouble our efforts and celebrate this early trend downwards, by continuing the actions that will eventually bring our hospitalization and ICU numbers low enough to support access to the system for all health care needs. (9/11)

This week is another test for our province. This is usually a time for many to relax and to celebrate – but we must not relax our guard or gather with friends & family. Celebrations can very quickly turn to outbreaks if we fail to take the right precautions. (10/11)

I know it is difficult, but our connections of love and caring for family and friends are as strong apart as they are together. We are all in this together and, this week, that matters more than ever. (11/11)

Here is a summary of today’s #COVID19AB update: Over the last 24 hrs, we ID’d 1,240 new cases & completed about 18K tests. Our positivity rate stands at about 6.8%. There are alerts/outbreaks in 448 schools - about 19% - w/ 1,992 cases. (1/11)