As kids head back to school, Health Minister and MLA for Red Deer North, Adriana LaGrange has released a statement about the start of respiratory virus season.  

The Alberta Government will be launching a refreshed dashboard for reporting on respiratory illnesses including COVID-19, RSV, and influenza which will be available in the coming weeks.  

LaGrange also provided the details on the ongoing illnesses in the province.  

“There have been 28 cases of influenza and five lab-confirmed cases of RSV since Aug. 28. This is consistent activity for this time of year. For COVID-19, from Aug. 28 to Sept.8 there were a total of 559 cases and 92 hospitalizations, with three intensive care unit admissions. Sadly, five Albertans died during that period due to COVID-19. As of Sept. 8, 417 people are in hospital, seven of those in the ICU. Approximately 20 per cent of patients were admitted with COVID-19 as the primary or significant contributing cause for admission to hospital. Data for the period of July 24 to Aug. 27 will be available when the new dashboard is completed,” said LaGrange.  

As we head into the season of sickness, LaGrange encourages proper hygiene and respect.  

“Now that we will be spending more time indoors, we need to make doubly sure we are following proper hygiene protocols like handwashing and staying home when sick. It also means respecting those who choose to wear a mask. More information on immunizations against respiratory viruses including influenza and COVID-19 will be available shortly. We encourage Albertans to speak to their family physician about these options,” said LaGrange.  

“It is our collective responsibility to create a safer, healthier environment for everyone – especially during the fall season when we see increases in respiratory viruses like influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID-19,” she added.  

 

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