The fifth COVID-19 death for the Town of Drumheller since the start of the pandemic was reported by the province on Wednesday, September 22; on the same day a total of 20 deaths due to COVID-19 were reported across the province and included the youngest death in the province-an 18 year old from the Central Zone.
Alberta Health Services (AHS) was unable to provide any further information regarding this case. The Central Zone encompasses a total of 30 hospitals across 95,000 square kilometres and stretches from the Rocky Mountains to the Saskatchewan border, and from north of Calgary to the southern boundaries of Edmonton.
“We need to move past short term restrictions,” says Dr. Rithesh Ram, owner and operator of Riverside Medical Clinic. “What we need are long term policies and procedures that will help us now and into the future, otherwise every subsequent wave has the potential to be deadlier and deadlier.”
He adds, despite beliefs the government has created a mess of the pandemic, government officials are not the ones rioting outside hospitals and harassing staff at restaurants and small businesses who have enacted the Restrictions Exemption Program (REP) and require proof of vaccination.
Dr. Ram also notes the politicians in charge of putting restrictions and policies in place are not medical experts and rely on expert advice to enact these decisions.
“Clearly, given how poorly Alberta has done, they are not receiving the best advice on how to move forward,” he says.
Dr. Ram says all eligible Albertans need to get their COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible to protect the overwhelmed healthcare system, which is currently “under attack from a tsunami of unvaccinated patients.”
Some 8,073 residents of the Starland County-Drumheller region, or 78.1 per cent of residents 12 and older, have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine; 67.2 per cent of the same population, or some 6,946 people, are fully vaccinated with two doses of the vaccine.
As of Monday, September 27 there are a total of 40 active, 525 recovered cases of COVID-19 and five deaths reported for the Town of Drumheller.
In Starland County there are 11 active cases, 87 active cases in Kneehill County, and 24 active cases in Wheatland County.

Village of Carbon resident Brian McHugh is running for a seat on the village council in the upcoming municipal election.
McHugh previously served on council, some 12 years ago, and he says Carbon is in need of some “fresh ideas” and some new members on council to revive the village.
“I hope this election brings some new faces to the council, as I look forward to developing and strengthening Carbon,” McHugh says, not only for new residents moving to the village, but also for established residents who have long been proud to call the Village of Carbon home.
McHugh is originally from Ontario and has called the village home for some 15 years, and operates the Carbon Bottle Depot alongside his wife, Andrea.
If elected, McHugh says some of his main focuses will be to give more power to the residents through amending language in village bylaws, involving residents to have their say through more town hall meetings, and providing the best services and programs for residents of all ages.
He will also look to restructure the village’s budget and debt, return to transparent budgeting, and reduce red tape to make Carbon more business friendly and attract new jobs to the area.
“I welcome every resident to voice their thoughts and motivation with me as I enjoy listening and learning from different experiences,” McHugh says.