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
Breast cancer screening should start at age 40, Canadian Cancer Society says
The Canadian Cancer Society says all provinces and territories should lower the starting age for breast cancer screening to 40.
DEVELOPING Live updates as Stormy Daniels testifies at Trump hush money trial
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Boeing 737 catches fire and skids off the runway at a Senegal airport, injuring 10 people
A Boeing 737-300 plane carrying 85 people skidded off a runway at the airport in Dakar, Senegal's capital, injuring 10 people, according to the transport minister, an airline safety group and footage from a passenger that showed the aircraft on fire.
Canadian-Israeli man shot dead in Egypt; claim links killing to Gaza
A Canadian man 'of Jewish Israeli descent' has been shot dead in the Egyptian city of Alexandria in a suspected criminal case, a security source said, while a previously unknown militant group said it carried out the attack in reaction to the war in Gaza.