Alberta Health Services has found the first COVID-19 case that was likely transmitted within a school. The affected school is Waverly School in Edmonton.  

“This is not unexpected and it is not a cause for alarm. However, I know many are anxious about school safety and I thought it was important to share this information with you and to talk about what it means,” said Chief Medical Officer of Health, Doctor Deena Hinshaw.

Dr. Hinshaw called an unscheduled COVID-19 update to disclose information about the in-school transmission in an effort to remain transparent with the public. However, the doctor says school transmission is something that AHS has been anticipating.

“We expected that we would eventually see some examples of transmission in schools,” said Hinshaw.

She believes there is no reason why the school should not continue on operating regularly at this time. Dr. Hinshaw said that she believes Waverly School is the only school where transmission has occurred between students so far. So far, there has only been one declared watch for schools declared in the City of Calgary.

“Managing transmission in schools is part of learning to live with COVID-19 and the reason we have aggressive public health measures in place. Identifying in school transmission potential quickly and taking action is crucial to limiting the spread and keeping schools safe,” explained Hinshaw.

The doctor is asking members of the public and the media to refrain from laying blame or shame on the school as they deal with the situation.

 New case numbers as of September 18th, 2020:

  • 107 new cases have been identified
  • 1,424 active cases in Alberta
  • 44 people are hospitalized with COVID-19
  • 7 people are currently in ICUs
  • 14,702 total recovered cases
  • 1 new death
  • 255 total deaths from the virus 
  • 1,180,696 tests have been performed in total 

Active case numbers in Central Alberta area:

  • 2 active cases in Lacombe County
  • 0 active case in the City of Lacombe
  • 8 active cases in the City of Red Deer
  • 0 active cases in Red Deer County
  • 2 active cases in Ponoka County
  • 1 active cases in the Town of Sylvan Lake
  • 0 active cases in Stettler County
  • 1 active case in Mountain View County

*Not all cases in the Central Zone have been included.