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
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
This Toronto restaurant is no longer accepting tips. Here's how it's going
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff – tipping is no longer accepted.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
What new auto insurance reforms will mean for Ontarians, if they get introduced
Ontario has among the highest rates for auto insurance premiums in Canada -- just below Alberta and Nova Scotia -- however, the introduction of an insurance reform in the provincial budget could soon lower prices.