Immunocompromised Albertans eligible for 4th COVID-19 vaccine dose
More than 80,000 immunocompromised Albertans can soon receive a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose.
Albertans 18 years and older with an immunocompromising condition can receive another booster shot five months after their third dose.
Appointments start on Thursday.
"Providing a fourth dose to these individuals is equivalent to a third dose for others," said Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical officer of health.
"This will not only help prevent some breakthrough infections that we've been seeing, but also decrease the chance that people with immune-compromising conditions could have severe outcomes from COVID-19."
Fourth doses have not been approved for minors who have immunocompromising conditions, the province said, but they are eligible for third doses.
TUESDAY DATA
There are 1,089 Albertans with COVID-19 in hospital as of Tuesday, including 104 in intensive care.
Nine more Albertans have died due to the disease, increasing the province's death toll to 3,412. The deaths were in individuals ranging in age from in their 60s to more than 80 years years old.
"The bottom line is that our acute care system remains under serious pressure and COVID-19 continues to pose a risk of severe outcomes to many Albertans," Hinshaw said.
"This rise will continue to put pressure on our health system and the health-care workers who take care of us."
The province also reported 3,279 new COVID-19 cases after 8,995 PCR tests, increasing known active infections to more than 70,000.
Alberta Health will next update its data on Wednesday.
OTHER COVID-19 RELATED NEWS
Alberta expects to receive its first limited supply of Paxlovid by the end of the week. Pfizer's COVID-19 antiviral treatment was the first oral at-home prescription medication to be cleared for use in Canada on Monday.
Alberta Health Minister Jason Copping has tested positive for COVID-19 and is now isolating with self-described mild symptoms.
Some Edmonton-area schools have moved classes online because of COVID-19 staffing pressures.
A petition asking the University of Lethbridge to make a formal decision about whether classes will be offered online or in person has been signed more than 1,300 times.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.