Alberta reports 321 new cases of COVID-19 and 13 more deaths
Dr. Deena Hinshaw urging Albertans to get their flu shot
Alberta reported 321 new cases of COVID-19 and 13 more deaths Tuesday, bringing the total number of deaths in the province due to the disease to 3,201.
There were 518 people in hospital, including 101 in intensive care units.
On Tuesday, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical officer of health, encouraged Albertans to get vaccinated against COVID-19 but also to get their flu shot.
With the arrival of winter weather, Hinshaw warned that more people will be congregating indoors and giving viruses of all types more opportunity to spread.
"It's now influenza season, which means we can expect a rise in the number of Albertans with respiratory symptoms and other illnesses, including seasonal influenza," Hinshaw told a news conference.
Last year, the province had its strongest-ever influenza campaign with 37 per cent of Albertans — about 1.65 million people — receiving their shot, according to the province's website.
Flu shot uptake slower this year
"Unfortunately so far this year, uptake has been slower," Hinshaw said. "At this point, about 20 per cent of Albertans have been immunized against influenza, with more than 916,000 doses of influenza vaccine administered across the province."
The Alberta government has purchased 2.1 million doses of influenza vaccine for the 2021-22 season.
"The flu shot won't prevent COVID-19 but it will reduce your chance of getting sick with influenza and spreading it to others," Hinshaw said.
So far, the province has recorded three cases of flu.
The chief medical officer of health also urged Albertans to stay vigilant over COVID-19, especially as temperatures drop and the province heads into winter.
"While over the past few weeks we have begun to come down the other side of the fourth wave, we have seen before how fast things can change.
During winter more activities move indoors, she said, where the risk of COVID-19 transmission increases.
On Tuesday, the province also announced businesses and organizations can now apply for a $2,000 grant aimed to offset some of the costs of implementing the Restrictions Exemption Program.
The province set aside $20 million for the grants, which eligible businesses, co-operatives and non-profit organizations may use as they see fit.
As of the province's latest update there are 5,565 active cases across the province, a slight decrease from Monday's update. Here's how active cases break down regionally:
- Calgary zone: 1,785
- Edmonton zone: 1,202
- North zone: 1,160
- Central zone: 913
- South zone: 498
- Unknown: 7
The R-value —the average number of COVID-19 people infected by each diagnosed case — was 0.92 (confidence interval of 0.89-0.96) for the province as a whole during the first half of November. This is a slight increase from the end of October.
An R-value above 1 means transmission is growing.