Twentieth Wood Buffalo resident dies from COVID-19, RMWB's active cases total 335
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A twentieth resident in Wood Buffalo has died from COVID-19, according to Alberta Health data released Thursday. This is the second death from COVID-19 reported in the region’s rural areas, although Indigenous communities in the Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo area have reported some elders have died while living in other communities.
The individual is one of 20 deaths announced Thursday, bringing Alberta’s COVID-19 death toll to 2,717.
In Fort McMurray, 18 people have died from the virus. There are currently 335 active cases in the Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo area.
In a Thursday press conference, Premier Jason Kenney said the province is completing plans with the Newfoundland and Labrador government that will likely send five or six ICU experienced staff to the Northern Lights Community Health Centre.
“This is a wonderful gesture from a province whose people have done so much to build Alberta’s prosperity,” he said.
Kenney also announced that all Alberta public service employees must be fully vaccinated by Nov. 30. Employees that are not fully vaccinated will be required to produce a negative PCR or rapid COVID-19 test result within 72 hours of every scheduled workday or shift. Employees not able to be vaccinated must obtain an accommodation based on the Alberta Human Rights Act.
“The message is clear we value our public servants and the important work that they do,” he said. “That’s why we want to ensure they are operating in safe work places and that we are doing everything we can to protect the millions of Albertans to whom they provide services.”
Kenney said the majority of employees within the broader Alberta public sector including Alberta Health Services, post secondaries, government agencies, boards, and commissions have already adopted similar policies.
The ministers of health and education will also be writing to Alberta school boards to ask that they consider adopting similar policies for their employees.
Alberta Health data shows there are currently 1,083 Albertans in the hospital, 263 of which are in intensive care units. Of the patients in an ICU, 90.9 per cent are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated.
“We need everybody’s help to reduce the pressure on the healthcare system,” said Alberta Health Services president and CEO Dr. Verna Yiu. “Our teams are doing all that they can, but we need Albertans to do their part.”
– With reporting from Anna Junker
lbeamish@postmedia.com
COVID-19 numbers for Alberta, reported September 30:
- All Albertans born in 2009 and earlier qualify for vaccines. It is illegal for employers to fire or discipline workers taking time off for a vaccine.
- 298,172 people have had COVID-19: 20,255 active cases, 2,717 deaths, 275,200 recoveries.
- 1,083 COVID-19 patients in hospital, including 263 people in ICUs.
- 83.6 per cent of eligible Albertans have at least one dose, 74.3 per cent of eligible Albertans fully immunized.
- Alberta’s earliest known COVID-19 case was detected in a blood sample collected on Feb. 24. The first case was announced on March 5.
COVID-19 in Fort McMurray:
- 306 active cases. First case was reported in the city on March 19. Cases are based on residency and do not include the commuter workforce.
- 7,158 recoveries.
- 18 residents have died from COVID-19 in Fort McMurray. The region’s first death was reported Sept. 8, 2020.
- People with at least one vaccine dose: 75+: 81%, (542 people)
60-74: 84.1%, (5421 people)
40-59: 82.2%, (18963 people)
20-39: 69.4%, (19782 people)
12-19: 79.3%, (5325 people)
12+: 77%, (50338 people)
All ages: 63.4%, (50338 people) - People fully immunized: 75+: 77.7%, (520 people)
60-74: 78.1%, (5031 people)
40-59: 73.1%, (16844 people)
20-39: 55.9%, (15937 people)
12-19: 65.4%, (4392 people)
12+: 65.6%, (42981 people)
All ages: 54%, (42921 people)
COVID-19 in rural areas:
- 29 active cases in rural communities. Cases are based on residency and do not include the commuter workforce.
- 383 recoveries.
- Two resident has died from COVID-19 in the region’s rural areas. The most recent death before Wednesday was reported on Sept. 30. Indigenous and rural leaders in the Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo area have reported some elders have died while living in other communities.
- People with at least one vaccine dose: 75+: 99.6%, (101 people)
60-74: 94.9%, (457 people)
40-59: 79.7%, (927 people)
20-39: 60.4%, (707 people)
12-19: 60%, (277 people)
12+: 73.6%, (2485 people)
All ages: 61.2%, (2485 people) - People fully vaccinated: 75+: 94.7%, (96 people)
60-74: 86.6%, (417 people)
40-59: 67.5%, (785 people)
20-39: 44.8%, (524 people)
12-19: 40.5%, (187 people)
12+: 59.8%, (2018 people)
All ages: 49.7%, (2018 people)
RMWB COVID-19 school outbreaks:
- Alberta Health Services has stopped reporting positive cases to school boards.
RMWB COVID-19 workplace outbreaks:
- Information on workplace outbreaks can be found online from Alberta Health Services.
- CNRL Albian
- CNRL Horizon
- CNRL Kirby Jackfish Lodge
- MEG Christina Lake
- Suncor Firebag
- Suncor Fort Hills
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