The number of active COVID-19 cases at the Drumheller Institution has dropped to zero, more than four months since the first reported cases were confirmed in December 2020, which prompted the institution to declare an outbreak and seek support from the Canadian Red Cross.
The medium-security federal penitentiary will remain under outbreak status until 28 days after the last recovered case; according to the Correctional Services Canada website the outbreak is projected to lift on Monday, May 24.
“Given the issues we’ve seen this weekend, and the record high cases reported, we are developing a package of stronger public health measures which I expect to announce tomorrow (Tuesday, May 4),” Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said during the Monday, May 3 COVID update.
During the update, Premier Kenney also announced the COVID-19 vaccine rollout will expand eligibility to include teachers, early childhood educators, and support staff starting Tuesday, May 4.
Variants of concern continue to rise across the province, including the newly identified B.1.617 strain which is responsible for the rapid spread of COVID-19 in India.
Nearly 64 per cent of all active cases across the province have been identified as a variant of concern. In the Central Health Zone, which includes the Town of Drumheller, there have been 4,080 total confirmed cases identified as a variant of concern--1,783 of which are active; further geographical breakdown of variant cases is currently unavailable.
As of Monday, May 3 there are 27 active and 419 recovered cases in the Town of Drumheller; this includes 181 recovered cases at the Drumheller Institution.
In the surrounding areas, there are five active cases in Starland County, 32 active cases in Wheatland County, and 56 active cases in Kneehill County.