What you need to know about COVID-19 in Alberta on Wednesday, July 15
Dr. Hinshaw warns of worrisome uptick in new cases, including among young
The latest:
- Alberta's top public health official worries some people may no longer be listening to her warnings to keep up the COVID-19 precautions, such as vigilant hand-washing and physical distancing. She pointed to a worrisome uptick in new coronavirus cases in the province including among younger people.
- Alberta reported 82 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the number of active cases in the province to 704.
- No new deaths were reported Wednesday.
- The United Nurses of Alberta and the Alberta Federation of Labour called Tuesday on the province to make mask wearing mandatory at all indoor public places.
- The number of people requesting a COVID-19 test in the Calgary zone — which has the most active cases in the province — spiked to a new high.
- WestJet plans to restart non-stop flights from Calgary to London and Paris next month as it slowly increases the number of flights it offers this summer.
- A&W, Tim Hortons and McDonald's restaurants with drive-thrus will again be offering packages of free masks to customers in a bid to limit the spread of COVID-19.
- Edmonton is opening four indoor swimming pools next week with ramped up COVID-19 health and safety measures in place.
- Group campsites at provincial parks have opened for reservations for the first time this season.
What you need to know today in Alberta:
Alberta's top public health official says she's worried some people have COVID-19 fatigue now that it's four months into the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the province's chief medical officer of health, said she's also concerned that more younger people being infected with the virus.
Over the past two weeks, 780 new cases have been identified in the province, with 57 per cent them among people under the age of 40. Of those cases, 30 per cent have not yet been linked to any known source.
As of Wednesday afternoon, there were 704 active cases reported in Alberta, with 163 deaths. At this time, 8,127 people have recovered. There were 64 people in hospital, seven in intensive care.
On Monday, Alberta Health Services reported an "unprecedented" number of people requesting a COVID-19 test in the Calgary zone — 6,400 online referrals — after a week of higher than normal online requests.
The number of people requesting a COVID-19 test in the Calgary zone spiked to a new high this week.
It means some people are waiting days to get an appointment.
As of Wednesday afternoon, this was the breakdown of active cases across the province:
- Calgary zone: 312.
- Edmonton zone: 194.
- South zone: 81.
- North zone: 53.
- Central zone: 61.
- Unknown: 3.
- 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
The number of people requesting a COVID-19 test in the Calgary zone spiked to a new high this week.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw says she was disappointed to hear some Siksika First Nation members are being turned away from local businesses, reminding Albertans that COVID-19 does not discriminate.
A&W, Tim Hortons and McDonald's restaurants with drive-thrus are again offering free packages of masks to customers in a bid to limit the spread of COVID-19. About 20 million non-medical, single-use masks will be served up at more than 600 outlets across Alberta, the province said in a statement.
COVID-19 restrictions that had kept provincial campgrounds empty or operating below capacity have now been lifted, and shared campsites are once again open to tent campers, trailer adventurers, family reunions and small special events. Reservations can be made on the Alberta Parks website Reserve.AlbertaParks.ca or by calling 1-877-537-2757.
What you need to know today in Canada:
The federal government has announced it will extend the emergency wage subsidy program to December of this year. The program covers 75 per cent of wages, up to a weekly maximum of $847, for workers at eligible companies and non-profits affected by the economic slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Ontario government's announcement of its Stage 3 reopening measures has ramped up calls from Ontario parents, educators and public health experts for a plan to get kids back to school full-time come September.
The agreement to restrict travel across the Canada-U.S. border will be extended into August.
As the volume of travellers entering Canada through the U.S. has increased in recent weeks, public health officials are being placed at land borders to bolster screening for COVID-19.
As of 2:15 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Canada had 108,721 confirmed and presumptive coronavirus cases. Provinces and territories listed 72,377 of those as recovered or resolved. A CBC News tally of deaths based on provincial reports, regional health information and CBC's reporting stood at 8,840.
Self-assessment and supports:
Alberta Health Services has an online self-assessment tool that you can use to determine if you have symptoms of COVID-19, but testing is open to anyone, even without symptoms.
The province says Albertans who have returned to Canada from other countries must self-isolate. Unless your situation is critical and requires a call to 911, Albertans are advised to call Health Link at 811 before visiting a physician, hospital or other health-care facility.
If you have symptoms, even mild, you are to self-isolate for at least 10 days from the onset of symptoms, until the symptoms have disappeared.
You can find Alberta Health Services' latest coronavirus updates here.
The province also operates a confidential mental health support line at 1-877-303-2642 and addiction help line at 1-866-332-2322, available from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week.
Online resources are available for advice on handling stressful situations and ways to talk with children.
There is a 24-hour family violence information line at 310-1818 to get anonymous help in more than 170 languages, and Alberta's One Line for Sexual Violence is available at 1-866-403-8000, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.