Alberta family searches for answers in teen's sudden death after COVID exposure, negative tests

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calga...sure-1.6008021

Alberta family searches for answers in teen's sudden death after COVID exposure, negative tests
No Albertan under 20 is known to have died from disease - Sarah Strate's family fears she may be the 1st
Jennifer Lee ? CBC News ? Posted: Apr 30, 2021 6:00 AM MT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

A southern Alberta mother and father are grappling with the sudden, unexplained death of their 17-year-old daughter, and with few answers, they're left wondering if she could be the province's youngest victim of COVID-19.

Sarah Strate ? a healthy, active Grade 12 student at Magrath High School who loved singing, dancing and being outdoors ? died on Monday, less than a week after being notified she'd been exposed to COVID-19.

While two tests came back negative, her parents say other signs point to the coronavirus, and they're waiting for more answers.

"It was so fast. It's all still such a shock," said Sarah's mother, Kristine Strate. "She never even coughed. She had a sore throat and her ears were sore for a while, and [she had] swollen neck glands."

Kristine said Sarah developed mild symptoms shortly after her older sister ? who later tested positive for COVID-19 ? visited from Lethbridge, one of Alberta's current hot spots for the virus.

The family went into isolation at their home in Magrath on Tuesday, April 20. They were swabbed the next day and the results were negative...

[Okieman]

Okieman Comment: The article posted above is fairly terrifying. If, and we have to strongly preface this with the word "if", ,,,,IF this is Covid and IF it has changed such that it evades the test and IF it can kill healthy teenagers this fast, then....there simply are no words. We will have to wait for more information. It is most likely not something drastically new, but rather a very unfortunate example of how this disease can kill even young people. My heart goes out to this family, and all those experiencing such loss.

Is there much in the way of new variants in Alberta? Based upon the article below there is.

--------------------

Variants in Alberta schools: An in-depth look at climbing cases and spread

By Lauren Pullen Global News
Posted April 29, 2021 7:00 am
Updated April 29, 2021 1:26 am

It?s been a debate and discussion throughout the entire COVID-19 pandemic: is it safe for students, teachers and other staff to be in schools?

There?s no simple yes or no answer, but now that more transmissible variants have taken over in Alberta, it?s a question that?s being pushed again.

<snip>

https://globalnews.ca/news/7780489/covid-19-variants-in-alberta-schools/

[Okieman]

Alberta identifies 1,542 new variant cases of COVID-19

BY JOSH RITCHIE
Posted Apr 26, 2021 5:06 pm MDT
Last Updated Apr 26, 2021 at 5:08 pm MDT

EDMONTON (660 NEWS) ? The province identified 1,542 new variant cases of COVID-19 on Monday.

It comes the same day as 1,495 new cases of the virus were reported in Alberta.

<snip>

Variant cases now represent 64 per cent of all active cases in Alberta.

Of the new variant cases reported, 1,518 are the B.1.1.7 strain, and 24 are the P.1 variant.

<snip>

https://www.660citynews.com/2021/04/26/record-1542-new-variant-cases-identified-in-alberta/

[Okieman]

Alberta adopts new 'targeted' public health measures as COVID-19 cases surge
CBC News ? Posted: Apr 30, 2021 7:15 AM MT | Last Updated: 1 hour ago

<snip>

The latest on more dangerous variants:

• Alberta announced its first COVID-19 case linked to the B1617 variant on April 22, the variant fuelling the case surge in India.
• There were more than 1,300 new cases involving variants of concern reportedon Wednesday.
• About 63 per cent of active cases have been identified as variants of concern, but not all cases can be screened for variants, due to technical limitations with some samples. Alberta Health Services has said about 80 to 85 per cent of all positive samples are successfully screened for the variants of concern.
• There are 13,460 active variant cases, while 15,708 people have recovered and 82 people had died from variant infections.
• Alberta had28,287 cases linked to variant B117, first detected in the United Kingdom, 77 cases linked to variant B1351, first detected in South Africa, and 885cases linked to the variant P1, which was first identified in Brazil.

<snip>

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-covid-coronavirus-april-30-1.6008614

[Emily]

She was a leader in the school's suicide prevention group and would stand up for other students who were facing bullying.

"She's one of the leaders in our Hope Squad ... which goes out and helps kids to not be scared," he father said.

She is a tragic loss.

It may be that something else is triggering pre-existing immunity to the new coronavirus. A young person like this who is very healthy could have been exposed without knowing it, then later another virus triggers antibodies to the coronavirus that don't quite match the current virus.

[Emily]

The first article predates the illness prior to the known COVID exposure. So this could involve another strain than the one her sister had. Whatever it is, it's a very insidious and silent process for the first 2 weeks. I hope they also tested for influenza.

The second link is an article that details how it took 22 minutes for an ambulance to get to the house. Sarah was delirious and fell down during the long wait. She lost consciousness soon after the fall.

https://www.sylvanlakenews.com/news/...id-19-variant/

• The Canadian Press
• Apr. 29, 2021 9:25 a.m

...
Officials have not confirmed Sarah died of COVID-19. But as cases continue to surge in Alberta ? currently the province with the highest rate of new daily infections in the country ? Strate said he is convinced she died because of a variant of the virus.
...
Strate said a medical examiner told him Sarah had actually been sick for three weeks. A lab test is being done to see if she was infected with a COVID-19 variant.

?They say her lung was really hard and heavy. And I said, ?How does that happen within a couple of days?? ?They can?t explain it.?
...

https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/i-was-completely-shocked-dispatch-nightmare-operator-hangs-up-as-parents-call-to-save-dying-southern-alberta-teen-1.5409960

'I was completely shocked': Dispatch nightmare, operator hangs up as parents call to save dying southern Alberta teen
Terry Vogt CTV News Lethbridge Video Journalist
Published Friday, April 30, 2021 6:40PM MDT Last Updated Friday, April 30, 2021 9:20PM MDT