In the next few weeks Albertan’s will have access to information on COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) on one dashboard.
In a press release, Health Minister Adriana LaGrange, shared numbers on respiratory illnesses between Aug. 28 and Sept. 8.
“There have been 28 cases of influenza and five lab-confirmed cases of RSV since Aug. 28,” LaGrange said in a press release. “This is consistent activity for this time of year. For COVID-19, from Aug. 28 to Sept.8 there were a total of 559 cases and 92 hospitalizations, with three intensive care unit admissions. Sadly, five Albertans died during that period due to COVID-19. As of Sept. 8, 417 people are in hospital, seven of those in the ICU. Approximately 20 per cent of patients were admitted with COVID-19 as the primary or significant contributing cause for admission to hospital.”
The number of cases from July 24 to Aug. 27 will be available when the dashboard is live.
The new dashboard will align reporting on all three illnesses, similar to the systems in place in B.C., Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan, the press release said.
LaGrange urged people to take steps to prevent the transmission of illness as we head into fall.
“Now that we will be spending more time indoors, we need to make doubly sure we are following proper hygiene protocols like handwashing and staying home when sick,” she said. “It also means respecting those who choose to wear a mask.”
There will be more information coming on vaccines and people should talk to their family physicians about what is available, LaGrange said.
