Hinshaw addresses new variant of concern as Alberta adds 356 new COVID-19 cases
Three more Albertans have died due to COVID-19 as the province added 356 new cases on Friday.
There are also 455 COVID-19 patients in Alberta hospitals, including 90 in intensive care units.
- Infographics: COVID-19 in Alberta by the numbers
- COVID-19 in your community: Edmonton’s coronavirus status in numbers
The three deaths were in Albertans ranging in age from in their 60s to more than 80 years old. They bring the number of deaths due to COVID-19 up to 3,235.
Also Friday, the first doses of vaccine were administered to young Albertans between the ages of five and 11 years old. That age group has a population of just over 391,000 people, according to Alberta Health.
More than three-quarters of all Albertans, 75.4 per cent, have had at least a first dose of vaccine. And, 71.1 per cent of the entire population have had a second shot. More than 361,00 additional doses have also been administered.
Unvaccinated Albertans remain significantly more likely to suffer a severe outcome after contracting COVID-19, including hospitalization or death.
Alberta’s next data update is scheduled for Monday afternoon and will include data from Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
CONCERNS OVER NEW VARIANT
Canada will be banning the entry of all foreign nationals who have travelled through southern Africa in the last 14 days as concerns over a new coronavirus variant grow.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said anyone who has travelled through southern Africa in the last 14 days is being asked to quarantine now and to go for a COVID-19 test.
The countries include South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini.
The news comes just after the World Health Organization (WHO) designated B.1.1.529 a variant of concern, and named it “Omicron.”
The variant is believed to have originated in South Africa.
According to the WHO, the variant was first reported from South Africa on Nov. 24.
"Early evidence shows an increased number of mutations and increased transmissibility," Alberta Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw tweeted Friday.
"At this time, there have been no cases of this variant detected in Canada. I want to reassure Albertans that our genetic sequencing program here in Alberta can detect mutations of the virus, including this new strain (B.1.1.529)," Hinshaw added.
With files from the Associated Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Bob Cole, veteran CBC broadcaster and former voice of 'Hockey Night in Canada,' dead at 90
Bob Cole, legendary CBC broadcaster and former voice of Hockey Night in Canada, has died. He was 90.
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.