By Southern Alberta Newspapers on March 26, 2021.
A COVID outbreak at a Medicine Hat seniors’ residence that resulted in three deaths no longer has any active cases, says Alberta Health. AgeCare Valleyview had a total of 20 cases. Alberta Health says after the three deaths, the remaining 17 cases have all recovered and there are no active cases currently. A spokesperson for AgeCare Valleyview told Southern Alberta Newspapers on March 12 that the three deaths were residents and that the outbreak had started a few months ago. Of the total number of confirmed cases 10 were members of staff. The provincial government is not releasing figures regarding how many residents and staff have been vaccinated at seniors’ facilities like Valleyview. The provincial government announced this week that rapid testing kits would be made available to a range of businesses and organizations. Those interested can submit an application that must include details of a protocol that will be followed, including health worker oversight, and the cost of these required measures have to be covered by the applicant. 6