CALGARY -- The number of COVID-19 cases at a Calgary condo building is continuing to rise.
As of Monday afternoon, Alberta Health Services (AHS) has confirmed there are a total of 48 cases of the novel coronavirus at The Verve Condominium located in East Village — an increase of three cases since Sunday.
So far, 12 residents have fully recovered and at least one person is still in hospital.
AHS held a town hall Monday to inform residents about the latest information and safety protocols for the building and confirmed the number of cases connected to The Verve has now risen to 50, with the number of active cases ranging in the high 20s.
Several safety protocols have been implemented for the building, which include not inviting any outside guests, taking solo elevator rides and utilizing hand sanitizer stations on each floor.
Staff are also cleaning all surfaces and high touch points.
The AHS town hall noted that on-site testing for the virus has come to a stop as demand has decreased, but more than 200 residents had been tested since Thursday of last week.
AHS also added that the cause of the outbreak is still under investigation as several residents who have tested positive for the virus are being interviewed.
Some cases have been confirmed to be connected with certain neighbours, but there is no clear chain of transmission or idea of when the virus could reach its peak.
Residents have been told by AHS as well that the building is unlikely to go on lockdown, although there will be a stoppage of all short-term rentals in the building, including AirBnB.
The Calgary-Centre region was previously on a COVID-19 “watch” which is defined as an area having more than 50 active cases per 100,000 people.
The “watch” has since been lifted for the area as the number of cases in central Calgary as a whole has dropped since the weekend.
