Isolation measures paying off in South

By Lethbridge Herald on March 31, 2020.

The Alberta Health Services South Zone has not reported any additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 since Thursday, with Lethbridge having gone without a reported case since last Monday. Herald file photo by Ian Martens

Tim Kalinowski
Lethbridge Herald
tkalinowski@lethbridgeherald.com
The Alberta Health Services South zone has had 12 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including five in Lethbridge, a number that has held steady for over a week for the city, while the South zone has gone five days since its last reported case.
AHS South Zone officials say this flattening of the curve is not due to a lack of testing capacity, but reflects a strong local response to the crisis.
“Individuals in the south are being tested at the same rate as all other zones when one considers the population of South zone compared with other areas,” a statement released from AHS on Tuesday reads.
“We cannot stress enough how important it is for Albertans to continue practising crucially important preventive measures like self-isolation, social distancing and proper hand hygiene. We understand these protocols are challenging and we appreciate the actions people are taking to protect themselves, their loved ones and our health-care workers and first responders.”
AHS reminds the public that there are various tools available to assist local health workers in identifying potential COVID-19 cases to ensure public safety.
AHS has developed simple online assessment tools to guide testing referrals for both the general public and health-care workers. It can be found online at ahs.ca/covid.
AHS will directly contact individuals who have been exposed to confirmed cases.
If an individual is not contacted directly by health officials, he or she is not considered exposed, AHS confirms.
The 811 Health Link is another resource people can use when they feel they may be experiencing symptoms. AHS says while the call volumes on 811 continue to be high, it has added enhanced capacity to help alleviate that situation.
Follow @TimKalHerald on Twitter

Comments are closed.