CALGARY -- Over the past week, six people from the same care home in Calgary have died from COVID-19, Alberta Health reported Wednesday.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw said the patients who died were all residents at Clifton Manor, on Eighth Avenue S.E.
She added the deaths are not a marker of any failings by staff at the site. In fact, Hinshaw said they have done an incredible job of preventing infection among residents.
"The site responded promptly, created an isolation ward and worked hard to prevent the spread. Despite this, this shows the power of this virus in a closed environment," Hinshaw said during Wednesday's daily update.
"My sympathy goes out to the friends and family of all these individuals and all those who live and work at Clifton Manor and any other site that is experiencing and dealing with an outbreak right now."
She said the ministry received a report of the deaths of residents at the facility all together, even when some had died days earlier, indicating that sometimes there is a delay on information coming to their attention.
The Brenda Stafford Foundation, the organization that oversees Clifton Manor, said a total of seven residents have died from complications from the illness during the pandemic.
"The first of which occurred on April 17, and the most recent of which occurred on April 26. There have been no deaths related to COVID-19 at Clifton Manor since April 26," said Julie Arnold, the foundation's communications manager, in an email to CTV News.
Hinshaw says there are now 503 cases of COVID-19 in continuing care facilities across the province.
Eighty-seven people have died from complication of COVID-19 so far in Alberta. The illness has sickened over 5,000.
