Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw noted fewer active cases in Alberta since March 30th during the May 27th COVID-19 update. The doctor congratulated the province on taking the right measures but noted that the virus is still dangerous and showing different faces as they continue to monitor the situation. 

Multi-system Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MISC) has been reported in a number of jurisdictions across Canada and the world in children who have previously suffered from COVID-19. Dr. Hinshaw says the disease is similar to Kawasaki disease but remains treatable with steroids. 

“With the syndrome seeming to develop several weeks or about a month after infection, MISC involves the inflammation of multiple organs including the heart, kidneys, blood vessels, and nervous system. Fever is a key symptom of this syndrome and other symptoms can include rashes, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. The early information available suggests that the majority of children that have COVID-19 would not be expected to experience this syndrome. However, we are making this disease reportable in order to monitor any cases that may occur and to improve our understanding of this illness,” said Dr. Hinshaw. 

During the update, the doctor officially announced that there is one possible case of MISC in Alberta. 

“It is important to remember that this condition appears rare and is treatable. It is a reminder that we continue to learn new things about this virus and that we must continue to be cautious in our relaunch,” said Hinshaw. 

Additionally, Hinshaw was able to draw some comparisons of COVID-19 to other influenzas that have taken place in the past. 

“Closer to home, while this is often compared to influenza the current COVID-19 death toll of 141 people in Alberta is one and a half times higher than the highest annual influenza death number in the last 5 years and we have never taken such measures to prevent influenza from circulating,” said Hinshaw. 

Although numbers are showing signs of improvements, the doctor believes the province should still take precautions to keep the spread to a minimum. 

For more information on this update, click here. 

 May 27th new case numbers:

  • 25 new cases of the virus
  • 679 active cases in Alberta
  • 43 people are hospitalized with COVID-19
  • 4 people have been admitted to ICU’s with COVID-19
  • 6,106 total recovered cases
  • 2 new deaths in the last 24 hours
  • 141 total deaths from the virus
  • 3,168 tests completed in the last 24 hours 
  • 245, 949 tests have been performed in total

Central Alberta shows the following case numbers, available at alberta.ca.

  • City of Lacombe: 2 total cases
    • 0 active
    • 2 recovered
  • Lacombe County: 3 total cases
    • 0 active
    • 3 recovered
  • Red Deer County: 16 total cases
    • 1 active
    • 15 recovered
  • City of Red Deer: 37 total cases 
    • 1 active
    • 36 recovered 
  • Sylvan Lake: 3 total cases
    • 0 active cases
    • 3 recovered 
  • Ponoka County: 3 total cases
    • 0 active
    • 3 recovered
  • County of Wetaskiwin: 0 total cases
    • 0 active
    • 0 recovered
  • City of Wetaskiwin: 8 total cases
    • 0 active
    • 8 recovered
  • County of Stettler: 2 total cases
    • 0 active
    • 2 recovered
  • Mountain View County: 9 total cases
    • 1 active
    • 8 recovered