Lakeland COVID-19 update: 43 new cases on Alberta virus map

Forty-three new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the Lakeland area on Wednesday.

In the St. Paul-Saddle Lake area on the province’s virus data map under “local geographic area”, 12 new cases have been reported. There is 152 active cases with 264 recoveries total. Saddle Lake News, Events, and Information reports in their last update Tuesday there is 28 active cases with two in hospital from the virus. The First Nation reports 207 recoveries.

Cases continue to increase within the County of Two Hills. Eleven new positive tests in the past 24 hours has seen active cases go up to 50, with 29 recoveries and one death total.

In the Bonnyville area there is 35 active cases in the “local geographic area” with 83 recoveries after four new infections reported today. Kehewin Communications has reported nine active cases and 46 recoveries as of Tuesday.

There are 58 active cases and 118 recoveries in the area of Cold Lake as of Wednesday, two cases are active on Cold Lake First Nations.

In the Lac La Biche area, there is four new cases on Wednesday. There are 85 active, 63 recovered and one death total.

There are 16 active cases on Frog Lake First Nation as of Tuesday. On the provincial COVID-19 data map in the Frog Lake area, there is 40 active cases and 14 recoveries.

Three new cases have been reported in the Smoky Lake area, now there’s 35 active cases with 48 recoveries.

In Vermilion River County, there is two new cases. Thirty-eight cases are active with 30 recoveries and one death.

Health Minister says vaccine is coming

Alberta will begin vaccinations as early as next week after Health Canada’s approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

Health Minister Tyler Shandro announced during the province’s daily update that the vaccine will be ready on Wednesday, December 16.

“Alberta is ready to deliver this vaccine.”

He said the province has activated the vaccine plan, which means the first group of ICU doctors/nurses, respiratory therapists, and long-term care workers will be inoculated with the first 3,900 doses.

Shandro said the vaccine cannot be administered outside of the site of delivery because of it’s ultra-cold storage requirement, and so it cannot be delivered to long-term care facilities on the first round.

These physicians and nurses will be from the U of A, Royal Alex, Foothills, Peter Lougheed medical centres.

The second dose will be booked at the time the first is administered.

AHS will reaching out to people who are eligible this week to begin the first immunizations next Wednesday.

It will still be months before the average Albertan will be able to receive the vaccine.

New COVID-19 restrictions were announced on Tuesday, with some taking affect immediately, while business related closures and changes don’t begin until Dec. 13.

Provincial update

On Wednesday, chief medical officer Dr. Deena Hinshaw confirmed 1,460 new cases of the virus after roughly 16,800 tests.

There is a 8.9 per cent positivity rate in the province.

There are 684 Albertans in hospital with 121 of those in ICU’s.

Thirteen new deaths were reported to Alberta Health in the past 24 hours related to COVID-19.

Editor’s note: All case totals are from the province’s virus data map and local First Nations health authorities. They are totalled by “local geographic area” on the map to get the most precise information, except for Two Hills County and Vermilion River County, which is sorted by municipality.