Today, Alberta is seeing 8,506 recoveries from COVID-19 and 114 new cases from over 8,200 tests. There are 1,293 active cases.  

In Grande Prairie, two new cases have been identified and one person has recovered; there are nine active and 19 recoveries. In the County, there’s been one recovery for a total of nine with 11 active. 

In other areas, Birch Hills County has one new for three active and Clear Hills County has two recoveries for 12 total and 11 active. The County of Northern Lights has one recovery; they have three recoveries and one active remaining. The MD of Greenview has three new cases for five active and one recovery. The case in the MD of Fairview has recovered. The one case in Saddle Hills County has been removed. Mackenzie County saw another eight new cases and three recoveries. They have 44 active and 59 recovered.  

Currently, 106 people are in the hospital with 21 of these in intensive care. Two more Albertans have died, for a total of 176. 

Dr. Hinshaw is very concerned will our rising cases numbers and hospital admissions and says it needs to be a wake-up call for Albertans. We are approaching our highest number of ICU admissions, which was 23 on May 1. Our highest hospital admissions were 113 on Apr. 30. 

She reminds Albertans that severe outcomes are not limited to the elderly. Twenty-four of those in hospital right now are under 60 and seven are between 20 and 39. No Health Zone has been spared from increase, even rural areas are seeing it, and she says precautions need to be taken in all parts of Alberta. 

Dr. Hinshaw believes that for many, fatigue has set in. After several months of not catching the virus, it’s easy to feel fine and not be careful or follow guidelines. She says lower risk does not mean zero risk, and we are all at risk of catching and spreading the virus to others.  

She says that one out 10 people between 70 and 79 who contract COVID-19 have died, and over 80 years, it increases to 1 out of 4. The risk has not been much different between those in continuing care and living out in the community  

For those who do not die, Dr. Hinshaw says surviving the virus can still be awful and life-changing. We don’t yet know the long-term health impact, but it could cause lung damage and a higher risk of diabetes.  

Dr. Hinshaw says to those who say we should just let it spread and run its course that we don’t yet know if contracting the virus gives immunity. Studies have been showing antibodies lowering over time. She says it would also put a crushing load on our health care system with capacity and its ability to address other sicknesses.  

Dr. Hinshaw also says we don’t not if or when a vaccine will be developed, and we need to learn from our experiences and others and take current numbers as a warning. Virus does not care about what we want, and we must learn how to live with it. This means minimizing our risk of contracting and spreading the virus and protecting those at risk while not suffocating them in isolation. 

Watch the full update here: