Two doses required as of Monday under Alberta's Restrictions Exemption Program
The latest layer of protection against COVID-19 in Alberta takes effect Monday as two doses will be required when providing proof of vaccination.
Businesses and events using the Restrictions Exemption Program will now need to see valid proof of both doses or a negative test result within 72 hours.
Until Monday, having only a first dose of vaccine was enough to get you into a restaurant or event. The gradual progression was designed to give Albertans more time to react to the COVID-19 measures.
For one Edmonton pub, the identification process has become second nature to many customers.
“People come up ready to go with their passport out,” said Scott Krebes from Kelly’s Pub. “It’s been pretty seamless. I think people are starting to see that it’s worth it so we can just get back to normal.”
The newest change comes as COVID-19 infections in Alberta and hospitalizations suggest a downward trend.
In the last month and a half, Alberta’s total population has seen a six per cent increase in those who are fully vaccinated, increasing from 60 to 66.6 per cent.
The province administered more than 70,000 doses last week alone.
While the horizon may look promising, one Alberta doctor says the province cannot afford to lose focus and relax.
“We are winning, that’s very clear,” said Dr. Joe Vipond, Calgary ICU physician. “What we need to do is stay the course and that we don’t lift restrictions too early to make sure our gains we’ve fought so hard for aren’t immediately reversed.”
- COVID-19 in Alberta: 12 deaths, 656 new cases on Friday
- How to celebrate a safe Halloween, according to Alberta's top doctor
Vipond added that the vaccine passport and mask mandates are clearly helping. In the month the measures have been in place, the positivity rate, active case rate, and ICU admissions have dropped.
In his view, now is not the time to drop restrictions or lose vigilance.
“We are going in the right direction,” he said. “It (the provincial positivity rate) was 12 per cent three weeks ago. So let’s put things in relativity.”
As the new vaccine requirement comes into effect, Alberta Health Services continues to push public awareness campaigns encouraging vaccination, especially as vaccine uptake remains low in rural areas of the province.
- Independence, skepticism drive low vaccination rates in rural Alberta
- Low vaccination rates in rural communities affecting urban hospital
Recent social media posts showed an inside look at patients in the ICU. On the less serious side, an AHS post tackles a misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines causing impotency in men.
“In fact the opposite could be true. We know that patients who get sick with COVID-19, even mild illness can experience erectile dysfunction,” said Dr. Keith Rourke, Kaye Edmonton Clinic urologist.
“Mask on up to keep it up. Vaccinate so you can fornicate.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
'Ninja,' Twitch's biggest streamer, is diagnosed with skin cancer
American gamer and Twitch superstar, Tyler 'Ninja' Blevins, revealed he was diagnosed with melanoma, a form of skin cancer.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Here's what Trudeau says the upcoming federal budget will offer renters
The federal government will create a new 'Canadian Renters' Bill of Rights,' which would require landlords to disclose their properties' rental price history to prospective tenants.