Number of COVID-19 Cases in Viking Inaccurate
Michelle Pinon
News Advertiser
In the article titled, ‘Number of COVID-19 Cases Skyrockets in Viking’ which appeared in the Aug. 5 edition of the Vegreville News Advertiser, it stated there were 73 confirmed cases in Viking.
Mayor Jason Ritchie clarified that is not the case. Ritchie also pointed out that Alberta Health Services, (AHS) has to notify the Town of Viking if there are over 10 reported cases in the town, and AHS has not done that.
Not only are the numbers misleading, it has created a lot of confusion because the number of cases, that are reported by Alberta Health are only broken down into the two geographical locations of Viking and Tofield. For example, of the 73 cases that were reported on Aug. 3, less than 10 of them would have to have been within the Town of Viking. The reporting system does not provide a breakdown of the number of cases in other communities, (Kinsella, Bruce, Holden, Ryley), that are located within Beaver County. It also does not take into account the number of rural residents who live on acreages and farms within the municipality.
Ritchie said he will be speaking with government officials on Aug. 6 to discuss the town’s concerns regarding the Province’s reporting system.