Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw. (Government of Alberta)

By David Opinko

Most COVID patients at Albertan meatpacking plants recovered, two new cases in Lethbridge

May 21, 2020 | 3:54 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The Government of Alberta continues to post promising numbers regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Across the province, 33 new infections were confirmed Thursday, bringing the total to 6,768. Of those, 5,710 people have recovered while just 926 cases are still active.

“The good news is that we continue to see a downward trend in active cases,” says Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw. “While it is too early to see the impact of the relaunch, so far, our case numbers have held steady.”

59 people are in hospital, six of whom have been admitted to intensive care units (ICU).

The majority of COVID-19 cases in the Calgary and South Health Zones stem from two meatpacking plants.

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At Cargill in High River, only five cases are still active while 943 workers have recovered. For JBS in Brooks, 640 employees are now better while just 10 cases are ongoing.

“At this point, we are not seeing a concerning increase in numbers in Calgary or Brooks, and overall, our cases are stable.”

While Stage 1 of the Relaunch Strategy took effect in most areas of the province on May 14, these two communities will see a slower reopening.

“Should we continue to see these encouraging results, we are hopeful that we will be able to move forward with the gradual reopening in Calgary and Brooks.”

Only five new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the South Health Zone – two of which are in West Lethbridge, two are in Medicine Hat, and one is in Cardston County.

Not all of the news Dr. Hinshaw talked about was positive, as four residents of continuing care centres in Calgary died as a result of the virus. This means COVID-19 has now claimed the lives of 132 Albertans.

The breakdown by regional health zone is as follows:

• Calgary zone – 4,675 cases, 744 active
  • 96 deaths (four new)
  • 45 in hospital, five in ICU
  • 95,533 tests
• South zone – 1,216 cases, 97 active
  • Eight deaths
  • Four in hospital
  • 17,026 tests
• Edmonton zone – 524 cases, 61 active
  • 12 deaths
  • Seven in hospital, one in ICU
  • 57,990 tests
• North zone – 230 cases, 16 active
  • 15 deaths
  • Two in hospital
  • 15,660 tests
• Central zone – 99 cases, five active
  • One death
  • One in hospital
  • 16,948 tests

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

• Brooks – 1,090 cases, 59 active, seven deaths
• Medicine Hat – 36 cases (two new), six active
• Lethbridge – 26 cases (two new), nine active
  • South Lethbridge – 12 cases, four active
  • West Lethbridge – 11 cases (two new), four active
  • North Lethbridge – Three cases, one active
• Cardston County – 22 cases (one new), 16 active
• County of Newell – 14 cases, two active
• Cypress County – 10 cases, two active
• Fort Macleod – Five cases, two active
• Special Areas No. 2 – Two cases, zero active, one death
• M.D. of Taber – Two cases, zero active
• County of Forty Mile – Two cases, zero active
• Lethbridge County – One case, zero active