Medicine Hat’s COVID numbers ticking up, unlike most regions

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on April 8, 2022.

https://www.medicinehatnews.com@MedicineHatNews

The City of Medicine Hat has one of the highest seven-day case rates in the province, according to Alberta Health Service’s figures which are now reported weekly and no longer outline “active cases.”

New cases in the Hat totalled 159 over the previous week in statistics updated on Wednesday. Two deaths were reported as well, bringing the total to 91.

Cypress County also showed an elevated rate of new infections of 13 in the sparsely populated region. That actual number gave it a rate of 115 per 100,000 residents, compared to Medicine Hat’s “per 100,000 rate” of 233.

That placed Medicine Hat as the only substantial urban centre in the province with an elevated rate of new infections. Other areas classified as “highest” included Vulcan County, the M.D. of Willow Creek, Special Areas No. 4, Red Deer County and the City of Camrose, among others.

In southwest Saskatchewan, 19 new cases were added for the area in the seven-day reporting period from March 27 to April 2, according to figures released Thursday. The previous reporting period saw 28 new cases identified in the southwest.

Havre figure

Hill County, Mont. was listed as having zero positively identified active COVID cases on Thursday – potentially a first in 18 months for the region south of Cypress County.

The region, including the town of Havre, had reported active cases in the single digits for the last week, but was at none in Thursday’s report by state health authorities, as was neighbouring Toole and Liberty counties along the Canadian border.

Montana does not readily publicize testing rates or data on a county level.

A total of 71 Hill County residents have died since March 2020 due to the respiratory disease, and a total of 4,468 cases have been identified in the region that has a population of about 17,000.

The state of Montana saw an extreme spike in new infections at the end of 2021 and peaked at about 3,100 new cases per day in the state of 1.1. million residents on Jan. 18.

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