Everything you need to know about COVID-19 in Alberta on Monday, Feb. 15
Alberta's auditor will look into several programs related to the pandemic this year
The latest:
- Alberta reported 251 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, compared with 284 new cases reported Sunday.
- Air travellers landing in Canada will have to quarantine in a hotel, at their own expense, starting Feb. 22 for up to 72 hours, according to government sources who spoke with CBC News, with an announcement expected later Friday. Last month, the federal government announced air travellers returning from non-essential trips abroad will have to isolate in a federally mandated facility for up to three days while they await the results of a polymerase chain reaction test, commonly known as a PCR test, at an estimated cost of up to $2,000.
- The hotel stay would be part of the mandatory 14-day quarantine period for returning non-essential travellers.
- The tighter federal restrictions and the growing spread of more highly contagious variant strains of coronavirus in other parts of the world, prompted the Alberta government to say Thursday that it would suspend the border testing pilot at the Calgary airport when the new requirements come into effect.
- Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical officer of health, commended front-line workers from Alberta Health Services, the Calgary International Airport, the airlines and the University of Calgary for helping make the border testing pilot project a success. She said that since November, more than 49,000 returning travellers had been tested as soon as they arrived and she credited the pilot project with playing an important role in preventing the spread of the coronavirus and the variants in the province.
- Starting Monday, all travellers arriving at land border crossings will be required to show proof of a negative PCR test completed in the United States within the previous 72 hours, Hinshaw said Thursday — in line with new federal rules.
- Border officers can't legally deny entry to Canadians, but those who show up without proof of a test could face fines of up to $3,000.
- About 380,000 public- and private-sector workers — such as health-care and social-services workers and education support workers — will receive one-time payments of $1,200 for putting themselves at risk on the job during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Alberta government announced on Wednesday.
- However, the new program is leaving some employees and unions frustrated as they puzzle over who is eligible for the cash.
- Premier Jason Kenney said Thursday that Alberta would pursue additional domestic production of vaccines after Manitoba made a deal to buy two million doses of a Calgary-made COVID-19 vaccine.
- A Calgary lab has partnered with Sandstone Pharmacies, a Calgary-based pharmacy chain that has a strong presence in rural southern Alberta, to offer fee-based asymptomatic COVID-19 tests.
- There were 5,222 active cases on Monday, up slightly from 5,215 the previous day.
- The testing positivity rate is 4.6 per cent, up from 3.6 per cent the previous day.
- Another two people have died, bringing the total number of deaths in the province to 1,782.
- The provincewide R-value, which refers to the average number of people infected by each person with the virus, was 0.85, a decrease from 0.87 the previous week.
- The province has now confirmed 171 cases of people infected with the coronavirus variants of concern — 164 of the strain first identified in the U.K. and seven of the strain first identified in South Africa.
- There were 356 people in hospital as of Sunday, including 58 in intensive care.
- The City of Calgary said Thursday that 182 violation tickets have been issued since August for failure to wear a face covering where required. The total number of tickets issued under the Public Health Act in Calgary is now 192.
- Calgary is also reopening bookings at some municipal arenas and pools that can be booked for one-on-one training or for lessons or practices for minor teams (up to 10 people), but not for games or group exercise, the city said.
- The first round of eased COVID-19 restrictions in the past week includes limited school and minor sports training, allowing restaurants, cafés and pubs to reopen for dine-in services, and permitting fitness training, but only for one-on-one workouts — individual workouts without a trainer are not permitted.
- The province has said further easings of restrictions wouldn't begin until hospitalizations dropped below 450 and not for at least three weeks after the first stage of reopening. A decision on Step 2 is expected to be made on Feb. 28.
- Close to a third of Alberta's active COVID-19 cases have no identified source, sparking concerns that important data could be missing as the province eases restrictions and at the same time tracks a growing number of variant cases.
- As of Monday, more than 146,603 doses of the vaccine had been administered. There are now approximately 51,611 Albertans who are now fully immunized after receiving both doses.
See the detailed regional breakdown:
Here is the detailed regional breakdown of active cases as of Monday.
- Calgary zone: 1,989, down from 2,022 reported on Sunday (47,056 recovered).
- Edmonton zone: 1,435, down from 1,453 (50,352 recovered).
- North zone: 753, up from 735 (10,009 recovered).
- South zone: 330, up from 321 (5,791 recovered).
- Central zone: 706, up from 678 (8,759 recovered).
- Unknown: 9, up from 6 (104 recovered).
Find out which neighbourhoods or communities have the most cases, how hard people of different ages have been hit, the ages of people in hospital, how Alberta compares to other provinces and more in: Here are the latest COVID-19 statistics for Alberta — and what they mean
Here are the latest Alberta COVID-19 stories:
A look at where CERB payments went at beginning of pandemic
Federal data, obtained through the Access to Information Act by The Canadian Press, provides the most detailed picture yet of where billions of dollars in emergency aid went last year.
CERB paid out nearly $82 billion to 8.9 million people during its lifetime, paid out to those who lost their jobs or had their hours slashed.
CERB usage appeared higher in urban areas with higher COVID-19 counts, like Calgary's northeast.
"These are real worries and challenges that members of my community have been facing throughout a pandemic," said Calgary Coun. George Chahal.
For more, see: A closer look at where $82 billion in CERB payments went at the beginning of the pandemic
COVID-19 in long-term care under Alberta auditor's microscope
Alberta's auditor general will examine how the Alberta government managed billions of dollars in extra federal funding to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an audit plan for 2021-22 posted on the auditor's website.
"In identifying potential areas to audit, our office will continue to look at areas of highest risk and importance, including programs and services that impact vulnerable citizens, and investments and activities designed to leverage economic recovery," the audit plan reads.
The auditor will also scrutinize the province's management of the pandemic in long-term care and supported living.
For more, see: Opioid crisis, COVID-19 in long-term care under Alberta auditor's microscope
CEO of Calgary drug company speaks with Ottawa
Providence Therapeutics CEO Brad Sorenson says he has been approached by the federal government about his company's made-in-Calgary vaccine.
Sorenson told CBC News Network's Power & Politics that this is the first time a COVID-19 vaccine designed and manufactured in Canada has begun trials.
He said the office of Science and Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne approached Providence Therapeutics about the vaccine.
"We've heard from a number of premiers, and I'm happy to report that I was approached by Minister Champagne's office to have a discussion with him," he said.
For more, see: CEO of Canadian drug company says Ottawa has approached him about his firm's made-in-Canada vaccine
Alberta to end border testing program at Calgary airport
Alberta will end its border pilot program at the Calgary airport when new federal restrictions come into place, the province's chief medical officer of health announced Thursday.
"Thanks to the testing processes already in place because of our border pilot, Alberta's labs are well positioned to support this new federal requirement," Dr. Deena Hinshaw said.
The border pilot at the Coutts border entry, meanwhile, will continue until a decision is made by the federal government on whether additional restrictions are needed at land border crossings, Hinshaw said.
Starting Monday, Alberta will require all travellers arriving at land border crossings to show proof of a negative PCR test completed in the United States within the previous 72 hours.
For more, see: Alberta changing rules to require negative COVID-19 tests at international border crossings
Close to a third of Alberta's active COVID-19 cases have no identified source
Close to a third of Alberta's active COVID-19 cases have no identified source, sparking concerns that important data could be missing as the province eases restrictions and at the same time tracks a growing number of variant cases.
The percentage of active cases with no known source peaked at about 85 per cent in late November when Alberta's contact tracing system broke down.
While it has improved dramatically since Alberta Health Services beefed up its contact tracing teams and caught up with the backlog, it currently sits at nearly 33 per cent — representing 1,856 of 5,706 active cases.
The province moved into Stage 1 of its phased reopening on Monday, allowing for some indoor dining at restaurants, one-on-one training in gyms and limited school and minor sports.
Craig Jenne, an associate professor at the University of Calgary in the department of microbiology, immunology and infectious diseases, said easing restrictions will lead to more interactions in the community, providing even more opportunities for the virus to spread between people who don't know each other.
"If we're at a third already, as we increase our activity in the community one would only expect those anonymous or untraceable contacts to go up," he said.
For more, see: Close to a third of Alberta's active COVID-19 cases have no identified source
Asymptomatic COVID testing coming to pharmacy chain with locations in rural southern Alberta
A Calgary lab has partnered with a locally based pharmacy chain that has a strong presence in rural southern Alberta to offer fee-based asymptomatic COVID-19 tests.
The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests will soon be available to people without COVID symptoms at Sandstone Pharmacies across the province.
The tests use saliva samples rather than nose or throat swabs, and results can be available within hours, but for a fee. It will be $149 plus GST for a standard, 24-hour wait, and up to $199 plus GST for a four-hour wait.
The developers hope that faster turnaround times will allow the province to stay on top of testing.
"The biggest problem the PCR testing has is that it takes a long time to process the results, and that delays notification to patients, to the health-care teams and contact tracing," said Dr. Anmol Kapoor, a Calgary cardiologist and the CEO of CardiAI labs, which will process the results.
Sandstone locations in Alberta include Airdrie, Nanton, Blackfalds, Bragg Creek, Black Diamond, Hythe and Langdon. There are also locations in Calgary and Medicine Hat.
The testing kits should be available in Sandstone Pharmacies early next week.
For more, see: Asymptomatic COVID testing coming to pharmacy chain with locations in rural southern Alberta
Alberta will pursue further domestic vaccine production, Kenney says
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said Thursday the province would pursue additional domestic production of vaccines after Manitoba made a deal to buy two million doses of a Calgary-made COVID-19 vaccine.
Earlier Thursday, Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister announced the province had made a deal to buy the doses from the Calgary-based biotechnology company Providence Therapeutics, which has just started human clinical trials.
"It would be so important for us to have a domestic pharmaceutical industry here, and we are very keen on doing whatever we can to make that happen," Kenney said during a news conference.
"It's obvious that we can't count on international vaccine supply during COVID-19 given the vaccine nationalism and the failure of the federal government to get strong enough contracts to access supply."
Providence's product is an mRNA vaccine similar to Moderna shots, requiring two doses. The company purchased a 20,000-square-foot facility in Calgary with 12,000 square feet of lab space in order to mass produce the product.
Brad Sorenson, CEO of Providence, said the company is about halfway through its Phase 1 trial and expects to roll into Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trials beginning in May.
For more, see: Alberta will pursue further domestic vaccine production, Kenney says
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For the latest on what's happening in the rest of Canada and around the world, see here.
With files from The Canadian Press