Alberta reports 12 deaths, 442 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday
Alberta has reported 442 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday after 7,786 tests were completed on Monday.
In her COVID-19 update, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, said there are 242 active alerts or outbreaks in schools in the province. Two of those schools had 10 or more students with COVID-19 who were at the school.
There are currently 836 people in hospital in Alberta with COVID-19, including 182 in intensive care. Hinshaw reported 12 people have died from the disease in the last 24 hours.
THANKSGIVING IMPACT
Hinshaw called the decreasing number of hospitalizations “encouraging” as it is past the point in time where an increase directly due to Thanksgiving would have occurred.
“There is one small caveat… if there are significant spreading events on that particular date or on that weekend, it could potentially cross into multiple networks and sometimes we see a secondary impact,” said Hinshaw. “Right now we’re at that point in time where we’re monitoring for that.
“We know there’s still a lot of COVID out there and we do need to maintain caution.”
Hinshaw encouraged people who are fully vaccinated to remember that people who have not yet gotten a vaccine may have different reasons for not doing so.
“Good decision making is hard to do when we are in a strong emotional state like anger or fear, so whether we are fully vaccinated or not, the more we can listen respectfully to each other, without anger, the more possible it is to open space for ongoing dialogue and understanding each other’s perspectives,” said Hinshaw.
As of Tuesday, 6,482,574 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the province. Of Alberta's eligible population, 86.7 have had one dose of vaccine and 79.2 are fully vaccinated.
There have been around 505,000 vaccine doses administered in the past six weeks, which Hinshaw attributed to the Restrictions Exemption Program in the province.
She added that it is “much too soon” to begin easing restrictions “because we do not have the capacity to take any more surges in acute care admissions right now.”
Hinshaw will host a telephone town hall with two doctors from the University of Calgary on Wednesday between 6:15 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. She will be answering questions about vaccines, fertility and maternal health.
Anyone who wants to participate can register before noon Wednesday at Alberta.ca/townhall.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.