Two weeks after reporting the province's first presumptive case of COVID-19, yesterday (March 19) Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw made another very sad announcement.  

"I must also sadly report the first death from COVID-19 in our province.  This individual was admitted in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) in the Edmonton Zone on March 12th and passed away late yesterday.  This patient was a male in his 60's with underlying medical conditions.  This is extremely sad news and all of us in Alberta's COVID response feel this very deeply."

Hinshaw says that while the man's death is extremely heartbreaking, it was not unexpected.  "This is a dangerous virus," Hinshaw says.  "While most people that become ill with COVID only experience mild symptoms, it can make others very sick."

Hinshaw says the death only underlines the need for the aggressive measures that have been put in place in the province to stop the spread of the disease.  She wouldn't speculate on how many more deaths there would be from COVID in the province.

"It all depends on how we can all collectively prevent spread, flatten that curve and make sure we are limiting the spread.  I don't have a specific number but my goal is to keep it as low as possible. 

27 more cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the province today, bring the total number of cases to 146.  Officials suspect that up to eight of the cases have been as a result of transmission in the community and are not travel related, although Hinshaw says only seven have been confirmed. 

There remain no confirmed cases of the virus in the City of Airdrie.  

Hinshaw also confirmed that the President of the Saskatchewan Medical Association has tested positive for COVID-19 after attending an annual bonspiel for doctors at the Granite Curling Club in Edmonton.  The club closed in a precautionary measure on Monday. The person who had the virus initially and may have spread it at the bonspiel was a Saskatchewan resident who had recently returned from Las Vegas.

Pharmacists have been working hard to help Albertans assess and screen for COVID-19. A new billing code has been created for this service.

COVID-19 Info for Albertans