Alberta Health officials announced 22 additional cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed, bringing the total number of cases in the province to 119. 

A map of the aggregate data showing cases by age range, and zone, as well as the local geographical areas on the website alberta.ca/covid19 shows that there are three cases being reported in Cochrane/Springbank.

The province announced that the aggressive public health measures they have already put into place to combat the spread of the virus will continue, with some new ones now in effect.

Six of the 119 cases are hospitalized, with three admitted to intensive care units (ICU).

Hinshaw says the online assessment tool that the province has made available to take the pressure off Health Link 811 has been extremely well used.  "As of this morning, the online self-assessment tool that Alberta Health Services has provided has been accessed more than 1.3 million times and to date, we have performed close to 15,000 tests," Hinshaw explains.  "Per capita, we are testing more than any jurisdiction in North America."

Today (March 18) Alberta Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena HInshaw says that multiple cases of COVID-19 have been reported from attendees at the Pacific Dental Conference held in Vancouver, BC from March 5th to 7th. "As has been reported, we know that cases from that conference have been reported in other provinces across the country and we have had seven cases to date and more continue to be identified."

Hinshaw says it was as a result of those confirmed cases that the Alberta Dental Association and College have announced a mandatory suspension of all non-emergency dental treatment and services.  

Yesterday, Hinshaw announced that all non-urgent scheduled and elective surgeries in Alberta are being postponed and says that Alberta Health Services will be contacting Albertans scheduled for procedures and will reschedule them as soon as possible.

Alberta Parks sites remain accessible, but the public is prohibited from using facilities within the parks. This includes toilets, picnic areas, and park warm-up shelters. This is consistent with national parks.

Backcountry and Kananaskis enthusiasts are strongly encouraged to choose activities that are low-risk during the COVID-19 response and to stay in areas that support emergency access and present minimal challenges and/or hazards. Backcountry assistance has the potential to add unnecessary stress to the health-care system and put public safety staff at risk (including exposure to COVID-19) which could then impact resources to support search and rescue.

To see where the cases of COVID-19 are in the province visit alberta.ca/covid19 and click on What's New, then click on Current Risk in Alberta, then view COVID-19 stats then COVID-19 in Alberta and click on Geospatial.  There you'll find the interactive map.