Alberta's vaccination rate 1.5 per cent away from reaching Stage 3 of reopening plan
Alberta continues to inch toward its third stage of reopening with now only 1.5 per cent of the population needing a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
In a limited update announced on the province’s COVID-19 information website, Alberta reported another 179 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday after completing 5,476 tests. The provincial positivity rate is 3.3 per cent
Alberta has 3,247 active infections. The Calgary zone leads the province for active cases with 1,330. The Edmonton zone has 839 while the North zone has 569. The Central and South zones have 381 and 128 active infections, respectively.
There are 290 people in hospital, including 74 in ICU. Hospitalizations decreased by six and ICU patients by two since Friday.
- Alberta reports 170 new COVID-19 cases as hospitalizations continue to drop
- Unused field hospital at Butterdome coming down: AHS
- 10 Delta variant cases connected to outbreak at Calgary hospital were fully immunized
The Calgary zone also leads the province for hospitalizations and patients being treated in the ICU with 132 and 32, respectively. The Edmonton zone has 88 people in hospital and 27 in ICU. The Central zone has 27 currently in hospital and five patients in ICU. The North zone has 25 hospitalizations and seven in ICU while the South zone has 18 and 3, respectively.
Four more deaths from COVID-19 were reported Saturday, raising the provincial total to 2,269.
Over 3.33 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Alberta.
Approximately 68.5 per cent of those eligible for vaccination in Alberta have received their first dose — an increase of 0.7 per cent since Friday.
More than 19 per cent of the population aged 12 and older in Alberta are fully vaccinated, representing 16.3 per cent of the overall population in the province.
To move to Step 3 of the reopening plan, 70 per cent or more Albertans need to receive their first immunization.
Stage 3 would lift all remaining public health restrictions and permit indoor social gatherings and would take effect two weeks after the vaccine threshold is reached.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
LIVE B.C. seeks ban on using drugs in 'all public spaces,' shifting approach to decriminalization
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in 'all public spaces,' marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.