Province taking notice of high city COVID numbers

By Lethbridge Herald on March 19, 2021.

Mayor Chris Spearman speaks with media at an earlier press availability last year. Herald file photo by Ian Martens

Gillian Slade
Southern Alberta Newspapers
Gslade@abnewsgroup.com
Mayor Chris Spearman is hopeful that Lethbridge’s high COVID numbers attracting the attention of Alberta Health this week may spark some action.
Lethbridge has seen active cases have more than doubled from a month ago to the highest number since the start of the pandemic. The March 20 provincial report has the city’s active cases listed at 515.
At a press conference on Friday Spearman said the province is taking notice.
“Lethbridge is on the radar. We’re certainly high visibility now at the provincial level as an aberration to the provincial trend. We may see the province take exceptional steps with respect to the city of Lethbridge and area,” said Spearman.
The province’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, said there was no single cause for the Lethbridge spike in numbers but family gatherings and faith gatherings where restrictions are not followed are key factors.
“Gatherings allow the virus to spread from one to many in a matter of days,” said Hinshaw.
Spearman said he’s worried the situation will get out of control and if people do not follow health regulations there is the risk of businesses not being allowed to stay open.
Shannon Phillips, MLA for Lethbridge West, does not feel the government has shown the “level of urgency” required to address the situation.
She says the government should have already held a joint briefing for area MLAs, the Lethbridge mayor and city council about a specific action plan being rolled out to address the high numbers.
“This is the usual way of functioning in a democracy,” said Phillips.
Nathan Neudorf, MLA for Lethbridge East, said last week he requested additional help from Alberta Health Services (AHS) and Municipal Affairs.
Neudorf says socio-economic factors, multi-generation families and the number of people for whom English is a second language are contributing factors. Efforts are being made to provide verbal and audio information through his office, schools, Lethbridge Family Services and various agencies.
“It’s mostly an education piece, not a compliance measure per se,” said Neudorf.
Morag Asquith, associate superintendent – instructional services, Lethbridge School Division, says the numbers have increased significantly in the last two weeks.
“I have worked with three schools this morning on positive cases so I couldn’t give you an accurate number at this juncture,” said Asquith on Friday.
The schools are working on creative communication.
“Some of our more compromised or vulnerable families do struggle with written content, whether it’s in English or otherwise,” said Asquith.
Southern Alberta Newspapers reached out to Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Separate School Division for comment. There was no immediate response.
Spearman pleaded with the public to stop gathering with those outside of their households.
Lethbridge Police Chief, Shahin Mehdizadeh, told a media conference on Friday that officers have responded to calls regarding gatherings but the crowds have often dispersed before police arrive. Even if tickets are issued for violations, it still means there was the potential for the virus to have spread at that gathering, he said.
“This is not a joke. People are dying everyday …” said Mehdizadeh.
Spearman says council has not been looking at any additional bylaws to address the issues.
“The big issue right now is not that we don’t have enough regulations, it is the lack of compliance that’s causing a problem,” said Spearman.
Mass COVID testing has helped elsewhere:
When the City of Brooks faced a similar spike in numbers last April, Mayor Barry Morishita lobbied for mass testing by AHS including for people without symptoms.
Brooks even contributed $107,557 towards the costs. Morishita later thanked Premier Jason Kenney for his assistance in making it happen.
Brooks also made hotel accommodation available for those who could not easily isolate in their own homes.
When numbers dramatically declined Morishita credited those two actions.
About 10 months later Morishita says he would do it again if necessary.
“If we were facing the same exponential growth, yes I would want a similar approach,” said Morishita on Friday.
Spearman says the population size between the two cities makes a similar approach more difficult. Brooks has a population of about 14,500 and Lethbridge about 100,000.
“When we’re 10 times the size of the City of Brooks I think that’s a challenge for us. Secondly we don’t have the resources. It would be up to Alberta Health Services to make that decision,” said Spearman. “We are going to rely upon Alberta Health Services to make those medical decisions.”
Spearman said he is concerned some people who are not getting tested may be spreading the virus to others.
“Our numbers could conceivably be higher than what is being reported,” said Spearman.
He said he has not specifically asked for mass testing.
Mass testing could identify the true numbers and also people without symptoms who are COVID positive.
“That may be true. I certainly would leave that to the decision and the discretion of Alberta Health Services. As a lay person I’m not going to direct them at this stage,” said Spearman.
There was a meeting on Tuesday with AHS South zone staff, said Spearman. They said they still have excess testing capacity in Lethbridge.
Asquith says there are two pilot programs of asymptomatic testing at schools in Calgary but it is too early to tell whether it would help in Lethbridge.
“We’re looking to see how it works in Calgary and the success rate of that process…,” said Asquith. “I think it will provide good information for Alberta Health Services to determine how they provide recommendations and supports to more school divisions…”
Neudorf says he believes the focus on providing vaccines may affect the number of staff available for mass testing at the same time.
Vaccination rates and testing numbers:
Alberta Health declined to provide specific numbers for Lethbridge but provided details for the whole of the South zone.
As of March 18 there have been 37,102 vaccine doses administered in the South zone, said Sherene Khaw, spokesperson for Alberta Health. This number does not include doses provided at pharmacies this week.
A total of 116,134 people in the South zone have been tested since November. “Asymptomatic testing province-wide has been paused for people who have no known exposure to COVID-19,” said Khaw in an emailed response.
Neudorf said he does not know how many tests are being done specifically in Lethbridge.
“I just don’t have access readily to that information.”
Saskatchewan provides daily updates online regarding test numbers for various areas.
“That’s something we’ve been asking for as well. And I’m unsure as to the approach or whether it’s a staffing thing in all of the resources on the frontline,” said Neudorf.
Provincial health orders prohibit indoor social gatherings with anyone other than those living in the same household. Outdoor social gatherings are limited to 10 people and cannot have an indoor component such as moving inside a home and going out to a backyard.

*An earlier version of this story included an incorrect information for the city’s Feb. active case count provided at Friday’s provincial press briefing