(Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

AHS reports second COVID death in Lethbridge this week

Oct 29, 2020 | 3:47 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Update: AHS has confirmed to LNN that the COVID-19 death in Lethbridge reported today was for a man from the south side in his 40’s.

Alberta Health Services has released Thursday’s report on COVID-19, detailing the numbers over the past 24 hours.

477 cases were confirmed across the province, bringing the total to 27,042. Of those, 4,921 cases are active while 21,803 people have recovered.

That includes 22 new infections in the South Zone with 14 in Lethbridge, three each in Lethbridge County and the County of Forty Mile, and one each in Medicine Hat and Brooks.

Across the South Zone, 256 cases are active, 155 of which are in Lethbridge.

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Five Albertans died from COVID-19 since Wednesday’s update with three in the Calgary Zone and one each in the South and Edmonton Zones.

The deceased from the South Zone is a man in his 40’s from South Lethbridge.

This marks the second death on the south side this week following the passing of a senior, which was linked to the outbreak at the Edith Cavell Care Centre.

READ MORE: AHS confirms death of Lethbridge senior due to COVID-19

To date, the virus has claimed the lives of 318 Albertans.

Provincially, 130 patients are currently hospitalized and 18 have been admitted to intensive care units.

1,776,206 tests have been completed among 1,261,145 different people.

Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw says the province is changing the school and daycare symptom list for COVID-19 as a means of ensuring students miss as little time from class as possible.

Starting on Monday, November 2, those with runny noses or sore throats will no longer have to isolate if those are their only symptoms and they have not had a known exposure to COVID.

In the last week alone, more than 3,400 students and youths were tested for COVID-19 who had reported a sore throat as their only symptom. Less than one per cent tested positive for the virus.

Even fewer contracted the virus after having only a runny nose.

The second change is a move to a more targeted school checklist.

Those with even one of the “core isolation symptoms” of cough, fever, shortness of breath, or loss of taste or smell must felt isolate. This has not changed.

What is new is that, starting Monday, if a child has only one of any of the other COVID-19 symptoms on the checklist, they should stay home and monitor for 24 hours. If their condition has improved after 24 hours, they will be able to return to class.

The regional breakdown for COVID-19 in Alberta is as follows:

• Calgary zone – 11,976 cases, 1,879 active
  • 143 deaths (three new)
  • 51 in hospital, four in ICU
• Edmonton zone – 9,706 cases, 2,277 active
  • 103 deaths (one new)
  • 70 in hospital, eight in ICU
• South zone – 2,332 cases, 256 active
  • 29 deaths (one new)
  • Five in hospital, four in ICU
• North zone – 1,971 cases, 325 active
  • 35 deaths
  • Three in hospital, two in ICU
• Central zone – 986 cases, 162 active
  • Eight deaths
  • One in hospital

The breakdown for the South Health Zone by community is as follows:

• Brooks – 1,165 cases (one new), 24 active, nine deaths
• Lethbridge – 489 cases (14 new), 155 active, four deaths (one new)
  • West Lethbridge – 183 cases (six new), 58 active, one death
  • South Lethbridge – 162 cases (nine new), 49 active, two deaths (one new)
  • North Lethbridge – 144 cases, 48 active, one death
• Lethbridge County – 133 cases (three new), 26 active, one death
• Cardston County – 110 cases, six active, five deaths
• Medicine Hat – 93 cases (one new), seven active, two deaths
• County of Warner – 72 cases, six active, one death
• M.D. of Taber – 54 cases, 10 active
• County of Forty Mile – 49 cases (three new), six active
• County of Newell – 44 cases, eight active, two deaths
• Cypress County – 38 cases, five active
• Fort Macleod – 33 cases, zero active, three deaths
• M.D. of Pincher Creek – 27 cases, zero active, two deaths
• Crowsnest Pass – Three cases, one active

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