LAC LA BICHE - A coronavirus outbreak at Lac La Biche's W. J. Cadzow hospital in December of last year is now said to be responsible for as many as six of the nine deaths recorded in the region from the virus.
Alberta Health spokesperson Tom McMillan says specific details about those deaths cannot be released due to privacy issues, but did tell Lakelandtoday.ca that the average age of the people who have died in the Lac La Biche County local geographic area is 74.
The Lac La Biche region has reported one of the larger rates of COVID-related deaths in the province. With 343 cases reported since the outbreak began last year, resulting in nine deaths, the area has a mortality rate of just under three per cent.
By comparison, the MD of Bonnyville was reporting a total of 364 cases since the pandemic began and three related deaths, putting their mortality rate at less than one per cent. The City of Fort McMurray has recorded 1,686 cases since the virus first appeared. Of those cases, only three deaths have been reported that were linked to the virus — mortality rate of less than two per cent.
The City of Cold Lake has recorded 419 cases of the coronavirus and has yet to record a related death. The mortality percentage in Lac La Biche County is similar to the City of Grande Prairie where 20 deaths have been reported from a total of 1,183 cases.
Starting the week
As of Monday, the of Bonnyville was reporting 66 active COVID-19 cases. Cold Lake was at 43 active cases, Lac La Biche County was at 59 active cases and the County of St. Paul was at 40 cases. Across the Lakeland, active case numbers have dropped over the last week after seeing a significant increase after the holiday season.
*With files from Rob McKinley
