Alberta to keep COVID-19 testing past Sept. 27
The Alberta government has decided to continue testing for COVID-19 past Sept. 27 as the fourth wave continues to grow across the province.
On July 28, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw announced a series of changes to Alberta's testing and isolation rules that would have ended widespread COVID-19 testing by Aug. 30.
After two weeks that saw Hinshaw apologize for the way she communicated the changes in an op-ed, as well as several protests and criticism toward the province, she reversed part of her decision on Aug. 13 and kept symptomatic testing until at least Sept. 27.
As of Friday, Sept. 3, Alberta had 13,495 active cases and 515 patients with COVID-19 in hospital, including 118 in ICU.
Four-hundred of the 515 people in hospital, or 78 per cent, have not received one dose of the vaccine.
With mounting cases and hospitalizations, and a slow vaccine uptick, Alberta has decided to continue to test for COVID-19 past its Sept. 27 deadline.
Alberta Health Director Chris Bourdeau told CTV News tests will remain available for people with COVID-19 symptoms, as well as workers and residents at specific outbreak sites.
Last Friday, Premier Jason Kenney, Health Minister Tyler Shandro and Hinshaw gave their first press conferences in weeks and announced some new restrictions, including masking in indoor spaces across the province, and an incentive of $100 for people to get vaccinated.
The province will report four days worth of COVID-19 data on Tuesday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.
Djokovic needs medical attention after getting knocked on the head by a water bottle at Italian Open
Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after apparently getting knocked on the head by a water bottle after a win at the Italian Open on Friday.