COVID-19 in Alberta: 313 new cases, 5 deaths on Wednesday as Stage 2 reopening nears
Vaccinations among eligible Albertans rose to 67.2 per cent on Wednesday as the province readies to enter Stage 2 of its reopening plan on Thursday.
The province reported 313 new cases of COVID-19 as active cases continued to fall, down to 4,204, the lowest since Feb. 20.
Five more Albertans, all in their 60s and 70s, were reported to have died Wednesday, bringing the total number of COVID-19 deaths to 2,256.
- Infographics: COVID-19 in Alberta by the numbers
- COVID-19 in Edmonton: Numbers broken down by neighbourhood
- 'We're thrilled': Stage 2 starts on Thursday, restaurants and attractions prepare for busy weekend
More than 2.5 million first doses of vaccine have now been administered, or 67.2 per cent of the eligible population. Just over 598,000 individuals have had a second dose, about 15.7 per cent of the eligible population.
The are now 329 people in hospital including 83 in intensive care units.
The province reported a 3.84 per cent test positivity based on approximately 8,500 tests.
Also Wednesday, Edmonton's Twin Brooks subzone became the first of the province's 132 local geographic areas to reach 70 per cent of its population having had at least a first dose of vaccine.
Stage 2 relaxes restrictions on outdoor gatherings, sports, and post-secondary institutions among other changes. It is scheduled to begin tomorrow, two weeks after the vaccination and hospitalization targets were met.
Stage 3, which lifts almost all restrictions, will begin two weeks after 70 per cent of eligible Albertans have received at least a first dose.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Chinese-Russian air co-operation has Norad's 'full attention'
The head of the North American Aerospace Defence Command says Chinese and Russian air co-operation in the Arctic has Norad's 'full attention.'
Father and daughter found dead in northwest Calgary
Calgary police are investigating the death of a father and daughter on Sunday night as a double homicide and believe it's the result of a domestic incident.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Assessing Trudeau's balance sheet as he enters an uncertain 2025
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is about to enter the final year of his mandate and, quite possibly, of his political career, writes Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca. The former NDP leader takes a snapshot of Trudeau's leadership balance sheet as a way of understanding how he got to where he is in the polls.
Passengers describe travel nightmare after WestJet flight from Costa Rica cancelled
It was a travel nightmare that left more than 100 passengers, including Ottawa residents, stranded in Costa Rica this week.
'We're snake-bitten': Unconvincing Canada gets past Germany 3-0 at world juniors
Coming off a stunning, embarrassing loss to Latvia some 48 hours earlier at the world junior hockey championship, Canada picked up an unconvincing 3-0 victory over Germany on Sunday.
Quebec needs people to run for local office. The problem is they keep resigning
Municipal leaders across Quebec are looking for ways to get young people, especially women, to run for local office in next year's elections, but that is a tall order given the well-documented incidents of harassment and intimidation faced by elected officials in the province.
Gal Gadot reveals she underwent emergency surgery for brain clot just after welcoming her 4th child
Gal Gadot is opening up about how she survived a "massive blood clot" in her brain during her most recent pregnancy.
Housing market poised for 2025 comeback as lower rates unleash pent-up demand
Heading into 2025, economists and real estate agents believe activity is poised to remain strong amid much lower borrowing costs and more favourable rules for buyers, despite an overall challenging affordability picture.
Sidney Crosby breaks Mario Lemieux's franchise record for assists
Sidney Crosby broke Mario Lemieux's franchise record for most assists in team history during a 3-2 win against the New York Islanders on Sunday.