FOG BLOG CANADA LOG: 348 LAB CONFIRMED CASES OF E-COLI FROM CALGARY STEMMING FROM CALGARY DAYCARE!

'Cautious optimism' expressed by Alberta's top doctor amid Calgary E. coli outbreak Alberta's chief medical officer of health spoke optimistically Tuesday about the ongoing E. coli outbreak in Calgary.

Dr. Mark Joffe said while "we're still not out of the woods," he is encouraged by falling daily health numbers and a "sustained decrease" in the number of children who require hospital care.

"We're also not seeing any significant spike in secondary cases," Joffe said. "This is a cause for cautious optimism as we move to what we hope will soon be the end of this extremely serious outbreak."

Joffe noted that Tuesday's numbers continue to trend "in the right direction." As of Sept. 19, there are 348 lab-confirmed cases of E. coli, unchanged from the day before.

No new secondary cases have been confirmed in the past 48 hours, Joffe said.

Currently, eight children are receiving care in hospital, down from nine on Monday. Of the eight, two are receiving dialysis, down from three on Monday.

"Those children with more severe illness are in stable condition and they are responding to treatment," Joffe said.

In total, 707 children connected to the outbreak have been cleared to return to daycare.

Currently, there are six daycares in Calgary under a closure order or partial closure order, one less than the day before.

Joffe urged parents whose daycares are closed to keep their children at home.

He said kids should only be sent to another daycare facility if they've tested negative for E. coli, if they have no symptoms and if they've been given clearance from AHS.

Joffe says an "intricate and comprehensive investigation into the outbreak source" remains underway, adding that officials are hopefully getting closer to understanding how this outbreak occurred.

A public health team is reviewing the food histories for more than 1,150 children and 250 daycare staff in an effort to potentially identify a "likely source" of the outbreak.

Joffe said they anticipate having an update on that work "very soon," but said it's also possible that the exact source of the outbreak will never be known.

"But we are doing our very best to narrow it down."

The central kitchen at the centre of the outbreak remains closed indefinitely.