Alberta adds fewer than 200 new cases for 5th straight day but vaccine demand decreasing
Alberta reported fewer than 200 new cases of COVID-19 for a fifth straight day Monday, but demand for first doses of vaccine continues to wane.
The province reported 115 new infections Monday. Vaccinations among eligible Albertans continued to inch closer to the 70 per cent reopening threshold Monday with 68.8 per cent of those aged 12 and over having now received a first shot.
But, just over 3,500 new first doses were administered on Sunday, the lowest since late February according to the latest provincial data.
- Infographics: COVID-19 in Alberta by the numbers
- COVID-19 in Edmonton: Numbers broken down by neighbourhood
More than 2.6 million first doses of vaccine have now been administered, including just over 790,000 second doses, representing 20.8 per cent of the eligible population.
Also Monday, the number of COVID-19 deaths in Alberta rose by one, up to 2,270, with the death of a Central Zone woman in her 40s. She is the 70th Albertan under the age of 50 to die due to COVID-19.
Active cases fell to 3,089 the lowest level since mid-October.
There are now 270 people in hospital including 73 in intensive care units.
The province reported a 3.77 per cent test positivity based on approximately 3,300 tests.
VACCINE LOTTERY
Alberta entered Stage 2 of its reopening program on June 10, two weeks after reaching the target of 60 per cent of Albertans having had a first shot.
Stage 3, which lifts almost all restrictions, is set to begin two weeks after 70 per cent of eligible Albertans have received at least a first dose.
Earlier Monday, Premier Jason Kenney announced details of the province's vaccine lottery, aimed at getting more shots in arms as demand for first doses sags.
Alberta has among the lowest first-shot vaccination rates in Canada although it is among the leaders in second doses administered measured as a per cent of population.
All Albertans aged 18 and older are eligible to register for the announced three draws, the first of which will happen on Day 1 of the Stage 3 reopening.
Registration for the second and third draws closes on Aug. 24 and Sept. 23.
Each winner will have to provide proof of immunization. For the second and third prizes, winners will need to provide proof of their full immunization.
Other non-cash prizes, Kenney said during a news conference on Monday, will be announced in the coming weeks.
"We knew a point would come when we would run out of low-hanging fruit in terms of people who were eager to get the jab, and we reached that point about a week, two weeks ago," he said.
"Now it's a game of inches. We just have to get every single person we can."
With files from Alex Antoneshyn
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A newspaper says video of Prince William and Kate should halt royal rumour mill. That's a tall order
Prince William and his wife Catherine have been filmed at a farm shop near their Windsor home, The Sun newspaper reported -- the first footage of Kate since she had abdominal surgery for an unspecified condition two months ago.
'You ask for your money, they disappear': Ontario man loses $17K to AI crypto scam
A Toronto man is spreading the word of a cryptocurrency scam that lures victims using AI-generated news sites after he lost $17,000 in investments.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record
The warmest winter on record could have far-reaching effects on everything from wildfire season to erosion, climatologists say, while offering a preview of what the season could resemble in the not-so-distant future unless steps are taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions.