COVID-19 Weekly Regional Update
Michelle Pinon
News Advertiser
As of August 31 province-wide, there were 14,066 confirmed cases, 1,398 active cases, 12,427 recovered cases. There are 50 hospitalizations, 10 in ICU, and 241 deaths. A total of 976,423 tests have been completed, (9,334 on Aug. 31) and 773,854 people have been tested.
The regional numbers are as follows: In Vegreville/Minburn County, there were: 5 cases, 0 active, 5 recovered, and 0 deaths. In Two Hills County, there were: 13 cases, 4 active, 8 recovered, and 1 death. In Lamont County, there were: 6 cases, 0 active, 6 recovered, and 0 deaths. In Tofield, (Beaver County West) there were: 15 cases, 0 active, 15 recovered, and 0 deaths. In Viking, (Beaver County East) there were 74 cases, 0 active cases, 74 recovered cases, and 0 deaths.
On Sept. 1 the Provincial Government announced Alberta Health Services (AHS) is seeking proposals from new and existing continuing care operators to add publicly funded spaces without additional capital funding. This initiative builds on the Affordable Supportive Living Initiative (ASLI) and targets communities across the province with the most pressing need for new spaces.
A detailed analysis by AHS has identified 31 Alberta communities most in need of new continuing care spaces based on current and projected demand and supply, age of the population, and health-care utilization. Lamont was targeted for the Expression of Interest, (EOI) as one of these 31 communities.
According to government statistics, As of March, there are 27,518 continuing care spaces in Alberta. The average wait for a move into a continuing care facility was 54 days in 2019-20.
As of March 31, AHS operates 103 continuing care facilities in Alberta. There are also 126 privately operated facilities and 124 non-profit facilities offering continuing care services. Currently, about 400 Albertans are waiting in acute care for continuing care spaces to become available.
