Four deaths Monday from COVID-19 in Alberta, recoveries increase to 1,230

The COVID-19 map on the Alberta Government’s website on Monday that highlights confirmed cases of the virus. 

Four deaths due to the COVID-19 have been reported in the past 24 hours in Alberta, bringing the provincial total to 59 deaths.

Six new confirmed cases of the virus on Monday have been identified in the North Zone, which extends just north of Edmonton to the provincial border, and none in the Lakeland area.

There are no active cases of COVID-19 in Bonnyville, Cold Lake, St. Paul, Lac La Biche, Vermilion River County and Lloydminster areas.

The closest active case to the area is in the Wainwright region.

On Monday, there were 105 new cases of the virus confirmed in Alberta.

The recoveries have increased to 1,230 people provincewide and there are 2,908 total cases.

Over 100,000 tests have been conducted in Alberta and 3,718 were done in the past 24 hours.

Of the four who passed away: two were from long-term care facilities, one who worked at the Cargill meatpacking plant in High River, and one in the Edmonton Zone.

Thirty-eight of the province’s deaths have been residents of long-term care facilities.

• Calgary Zone: 2,077 cases
• Edmonton Zone: 438 cases
• South Zone: 156 cases
• North Zone: 143 cases
• Central Zone: 77 cases
• Unknown: 17 cases

Plan to help care facilities

New funding from the province will increase staffing of health-care aides to alleviate pressures in contracted continuing care facilities in Alberta.

An advance of $24.5 million will go to operators to help address immediate cost pressures due to COVID-19 along with three additional supports.

Increased health-care aide staffing levels, a wage top-up of an additional $2 per hour for health-care aides, up to 1,000 paid student practicum positions to fast-track certification and get more staff into our continuing care facilities, were all announced on Monday.

This funding will help facilities hire about 1,000 additional full-time staff so they can adequately prevent infections and respond to outbreaks, the province said.

The addition of 1,000 practicum students will also help deal with staffing shortages across the system.

A wage supplement will help compensate health-care aides at contracted sites for the extra work necessary during this pandemic.

It will also help alleviate the financial burden for those who normally work at several sites, but are now restricted to one site.