COVID-19 is claiming the life of another individual in Fort McMurray.
The province announced on Tuesday there were seven additional deaths from the virus across Alberta – one of which lived in the community.
This is the fifth death related to COVID-19 in Fort McMurray and the RMWB.
According to the Athabasca Tribal Council, an elder recently died as he couldn’t get treatment at the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre as there was no space available. However, Alberta Health Services says no patients have been turned away at any time.
In total, there have been 2,067 deaths across Alberta. Fourteen previously reported deaths have also been removed as it’s been deemed COVID-19 was not the primary cause.
Also, the active total of COVID-19 cases in Fort McMurray is seeing another big jump.
The province announced on Tuesday 1,539 new cases in the province over the past 24 hours.
There are currently 20,721 active cases across Alberta, while there have been a total of 184,840 positive tests. There are also 635 Albertans in the hospital for the virus, 143 of which are in ICUs.
Locally, Fort McMurray added 202 new cases and 61 recoveries in the past 24 hours which puts the active total at 1,204.
The rural areas added seven new cases and four recoveries, raising the total of active cases to 25.
Wood Buffalo National Park remains at zero active cases.
The region remains the worst in the province when it comes to spread of the virus.
The RMWB is averaging nearly 1,472 cases per 100,000 individuals.
The closest is Sunrise County which is averaging nearly 270 fewer cases per 100,000 people.
In total, 2,710 individuals across the RMWB – 2,548 in Fort McMurray, 152 in the rural areas, and 10 in Wood Buffalo National Park – have recovered.
They are among the 162,052 who’ve recovered across the province. This represents over 87 per cent of reported cases.
Meanwhile, all indoor extra-curricular activities, youth sport, recreation and performance activities for all students in Fort McMurray are being temporarily suspended or must be held outdoors with everyone following physical distancing and gathering restrictions.
This is expected to be lifted once everyone returns to classes at school.
