Alberta's Contact Tracers Can't Figure Out Where 43% Of New COVID-19 Cases Came From

Trudeau wants Alberta to use the national contact tracing app.
Alberta's Contact Tracers Can't Figure Out Where 43% Of New COVID-19 Cases Came From
Bobhilscher | Dreamstime
Contributor

Healthcare professionals have been issuing Alberta COVID-19 updates at high volume and continuing to inform the public as case counts climb.   

Though, according to CBC News, the province is struggling to find the source of a large portion of new COVID-19 cases.

Last week, 48% of new cases in the province have an unknown source. Overall, 37% of the existing Alberta cases aren't trackable, either. 

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“

We are taking this seriously and looking closely at what causes are driving this increase that we are seeing.

Dr. Hinshaw

Alberta's top doctor said in a recent press conference that the province is taking the increase very seriously.

Even Justin Trudeau spoke about the situation on Friday, October 16, saying that he's encouraging Alberta to get on the national tracking app.

Dr. Lynora Saxinger, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Alberta in Edmonton told CBC News that tracing is one of the main ways to reduce spread. 

"If we can't, basically, kind of find the ring of exposed people and prevent them from spreading it outwards, we're going to be looking at really, really bad numbers. So it's a big deal," she told the outlet. 

Dr. Hinshaw had said last week that some people who have tested positive for COVID-19 are refusing to tell contact tracers where they've been. She was deeply concerned about this "new trend."

*This article's cover photo is for illustrative purposes only. 

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  • Britanny Burr
    Britanny Burr was a Staff Writer at Narcity Canada, who drove growth within Narcity's Western coverage and readership. Having lived between her hometown, Canmore, Alberta and Calgary, Montreal, Vancouver, and NYC over the past 10 years, she is obsessed with finding the best local hot spots. She holds a B.A. in English and has over six years of professional writing experience as Head Writer and Editor for YUL.Buzz in Montreal, and Creative Copywriter at JAKT in NYC. News by day, poetry by night — the written word is Britanny's nearest and dearest.

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