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One new COVID-19 death in Red Deer, 257 additional cases province-wide

Red Deer sits at 459 active cases of the virus
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Red Deer added its 26th COVID-19 death Tuesday, with 459 active cases of the virus in the city.

The province reported two new deaths over the past 24 hours. A man in his 80s, who died on Feb. 28, was linked to a COVID-19 outbreak at the Red Deer Symphony Senior Living Aspen Ridge. Overall, 1,890 people have died in Alberta from COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.

Across the province, there were 257 additional cases, on 5,864 tests over the past 24 hours, for a test positivity rate of 4.5 per cent. Alberta has 4,631 active cases of COVID-19.

“The future is up to all of us, there is no guarantee that cases will decline in the near future. It will only happen with all of us working hard together, to follow the spirit of these measures every day,” said Alberta chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw.

“We all need to keep making safe choices to start bending the curve back down.”

Red Deer has about 10 per cent of the province’s active COVID-19 cases and about 72 per cent of the Central zone’s active cases, which sits at 636 active cases.

There are 511 cases connected to the outbreak at the Olymel meat packing plant, with 91 active and 418 recovered. Active cases connected to the plant are down significantly since Friday, when there were 156 active.

There are 261 people in hospital, including 51 in intensive care. Alberta has also reported 35 new cases of COVID-19 variants, with 492 variant cases total identified so far.

Related:

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Alberta flexes COVID-19 rules for gyms, libraries, delays other reopenings

Hinshaw also clarified rules about fitness facilities reopening. She said the government is working with gym owners to find the best rules that keep Albertans safe and will first educate those individuals, before issuing fines or other sanctions.

Alberta allowed fitness facilities to open this week for low-intensity activity, subject to an appointment.

“Penalties would only be used when there are intentional and repeated violations of safety rules,” Hinshaw said.

When looking at the province’s geospatial mapping for COVID-19 cases on the municipality setting, regions are defined by metropolitan areas, cities, urban service areas, rural areas and towns with approximately 10,000 or more people; smaller regions are incorporated into the corresponding rural area.

With that setting, Red Deer County has 27 active cases of the virus, Lacombe County has 30 active and Clearwater County sits at five active.

Lacombe has 15 active and Sylvan Lake has 18 active cases, while Olds sits at six active. Mountain View County sits at 21 active, Kneehill County has six active and Drumheller has five active.

Camrose County has no active cases and the County of Stettler sits at two active.

Camrose has two active and Wetaskiwin has five active.

In the local geographic area setting, Wetaskiwin County, including Maskwacis, has 26 active cases. Ponoka County, including east Ponoka County, has 20 active.

Rimbey, including west Ponoka County and partial Lacombe County has two active cases.

There are 228 schools across Alberta on alert or outbreak status, with 876 COVID-19 cases since Jan. 11.



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