COVID-19 Live Updates: News on coronavirus in Calgary for April 9

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With news on COVID-19 happening rapidly, we’ve created this page to bring you our latest stories and information on the outbreak in and around Calgary.

What’s happening now

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My COVID Story: How have you been impacted by coronavirus?

Postmedia is looking to speak with people who may have been impacted by COVID-19 here in Alberta.  Have you undergone a travel-related quarantine? Have you received your vaccine, and if so did you feel any side effects? Have you changed your life for the better because of the pandemic? Send us an email at reply@calgaryherald.com to tell us your experience, or send us a message via this form.

Read our ongoing coverage of personal stories arising from the pandemic.

More than 300 Calgary pharmacies offering COVID-19 vaccine

There are now 321 pharmacies offering the COVID-19 vaccine in Calgary. Appointments are still necessary and can be booked by contacting participating pharmacies by phone or online. Before booking, go to the Alberta government website to find out when you’re eligible for your free vaccination. More details on booking an appointment at a pharmacy can be found at Alberta Blue Cross.

Hinshaw promises to ease ‘devastating’ impact of isolation in locked-down care facilities

Health officials plan to ease restrictions in continuing care facilities “very soon” but are still trying to balance risk because some staff and residents are unvaccinated.

Chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw told families on a province-wide town hall Thursday evening that her team is trying to decide if restrictions should be based on an individual’s vaccination status, as many families have requested.

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That would require “something akin to a vaccine passport,” said Hinshaw, which the UCP caucus has opposed. Another option would be to lift restrictions based on the general vaccination level in a continuing care facility, or within a certain cohort of society.

But either way, something will change soon, she said. “We need to figure out how to make life worth living in these facilities.”

Read more.

Who have provinces pegged to receive COVID-19 vaccines in the coming weeks?

As COVID-19 vaccine supplies ramp up across the country, most provinces and territories have released details of who can expect to receive a shot in the coming weeks.

The military commander handling logistics for Canada’s vaccine distribution program says there will be enough vaccine delivered to give a first dose before Canada Day to every adult who wants one.

Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin says that’s if provinces follow the advice to delay second doses up to four months.

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Thursday

Police charge organizers of Lethbridge house party that violated COVID-19 rules

Two organizers of a house party in Lethbridge last month could face fines of up to $1,200 for violation of public health orders meant to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Lethbridge Police Service announced Thursday it had charged two people under the provincial Public Health Act after a party was held March 13 in a south Lethbridge home.

After a joint investigation with Alberta Health Services, police charged two organizers of a large, indoor social gathering that was held at a home in the 200 block of Fairmont Boulevard South in Lethbridge.

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Read more.

Thursday

Northeast councillor Chahal takes aim at COVID vaccine hesitancy

The city councillor for Calgary’s farthest northeast neighbourhoods is taking the issue of vaccine hesitancy into his own hands, rolling out resources to help spread accurate information about COVID-19 vaccination, from trusted sources in their own communities.

Ward 5 Coun. George Chahal hosted a virtual town hall Wednesday night where he quizzed a panel of doctors about the four vaccines for COVID-19 currently approved by Health Canada and what the public needs to know about them. They touched on common questions about side effects and effectiveness, and urged Calgarians to get whatever vaccine is offered to them as soon as they can.

Over about two hours, Chahal also spoke to panels of faith leaders, front-line workers and members of Calgary’s sports community, who told stories about their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and underlined the importance of getting vaccinated.

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Thursday

Alberta beekeepers concerned about dangerously low supply of honeybees due to import delays

Alberta beekeepers are sounding the alarm about the dangerously low supply of honeybees due to delayed or cancelled imports of the black and yellow insects to the province.

With the pandemic making it impossible to import bees last year and significant loss over the cold winter, Alberta hive numbers have plummeted by more than 20,000 and resulted in a 30 per cent reduction in honey production in 2020. Beekeepers were hopeful imported packages of bees from Australia and New Zealand this spring would bolster the population but ongoing shipping and inspection delays have them worried.

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Thursday

Vaccine brings new hope to Calgary woman living with cystic fibrosis

A Calgary woman living with a serious lung condition said getting her first vaccine dose was like being released from prison, even though she knows she’s not fully protected just yet.

Nicki Perkins has already overcome the odds with cystic fibrosis (CF) by living to age 48 without a lung transplant.

“When I went to get the vaccine on Saturday, it felt like I was out of jail and I’m looking around the world going, ‘This is what the rest of the world does? This is so weird,’” said Perkins.

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Thursday

As COVID-19 restrictions tighten, calls mount for more business supports

On the eve of a third round of bruising restrictions, Calgary pub owner Mike Shupenia spent Thursday wading through an alphabet soup of COVID-19 government aid that might help him hang on to staff — and his business.

“Should we tell our staff to serve, do they get a couple of more hours or do we lay everyone off for a third round? Are they going to be okay?” said Shupenia, who runs the Side Street Pub and Grill in Kensington.

“Our staff are our family.”

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Thursday

Alberta search and rescue calls soar during pandemic

Record numbers of Albertans heading into the Rockies’ eastern slopes have search and rescue numbers spiking during the pandemic, say first responders.

Those pressures have forced taxpayers to ante up millions of dollars more to cover the costs of bringing people to safety, said the province.

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Seeking outdoor relief from COVID-19 restrictions during 2020 led to the busiest year on provincial Crown land with 5,394,168 visits to Kananaskis Country, a 24 per cent increase over 2019, say Alberta Parks and Environment.

That’s more visitors than Banff National Park hosted last year.

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Thursday

AHS to open immunization clinic at Cargill meat-processing plant

Canada’s first on-site workplace immunization clinic is opening at the Cargill meat-packing plant where over 2,000 workers will be offered jabs.

The High River facility was home to the country’s largest COVID-19 outbreak last spring where nearly 950 workers were infected, representing roughly half of the plant’s workforce. The site is facing another outbreak currently, according to the province.

Alberta Health Services (AHS) said plans are underway to establish the on-site immunization clinic, in collaboration with the Alberta International Medical Graduates Association and the Highland, Mosaic and Calgary rural primary care networks.

Read more.

Thursday

U.K. variant becomes dominant COVID-19 strain in Alberta as province reports 1,429 new cases, a 16-week high

The B.1.1.7 variant, first detected in the United Kingdom, is now the dominant strain of new cases of COVID-19 in Alberta.

The news comes as Alberta reports its highest count of new novel coronavirus cases tallied in a single day in 16 weeks.

The province’s top doctor said Thursday more-contagious variants now make up the majority of newly detected infections, taking the place of the previously dominant strain, which has been in Alberta since last March. As such, the province is treating B.1.1.7 as the wild strain.

“We have now reached the point where if you test positive, you should assume you have the U.K. variant,” said Alberta chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw.

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Thursday

1,429 new cases, three deaths

Alberta chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw will speak with reporters at 3:30 p.m.

• 1,429 new cases of COVID-19 on ~15,000 tests; 9.4% positivity rate
• 340 in hospital; 83 in ICUs
• Three additional deaths
• 717 additional variant cases identified; variants are about 45% of active cases
• Active alerts or outbreaks in 414 schools

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You can watch the full livestream below.

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