COVID-19 Live Updates: News on coronavirus in Calgary for May 12

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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 had an upcoming surgery postponed? Do you have a family member in the ICU, or have you recovered after spending time in the ICU? 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.

Banff records first COVID-19 death as town’s case numbers drop sharply

While its COVID-19 numbers have dropped dramatically in recent days, the town of Banff on Wednesday announced its first death linked to the virus, a man in his 40s.

Banff-Lake Louise has fallen from its perch as Alberta’s worst COVID-19 hotspot in terms of active cases, with the rate per 100,000 people dropping from 1,219 two weeks ago to 349, say emergency officials.

But at the same time, Banff announced its first COVID-19 fatality, 43-year-old Ron Giesbrecht, who was launching a new business, Rundle Mountain Ink when he died, said Mayor Karen Sorensen in a written statement and video.

Four people ticketed after hundreds attend anti-lockdown rally at Alberta cafe: RCMP

RCMP say they ticketed four people after an anti-lockdown rally was attended by hundreds in central Alberta over the weekend.

A “Save Alberta Campout Protest” was held Saturday outside the Whistle Stop Cafe in the hamlet of Mirror, Alta., to support owner Chris Scott as health officials had closed his business earlier in the week.

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Alberta Health Services had said they received hundreds of complaints about the cafe and that it had not been complying with COVID-19 restrictions.

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I got AstraZeneca. Now what? Here’s what Canadians need to know about the COVID vaccine

More than two million Canadians are likely wondering what’s next after several provinces — Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario — pushed the pause button on first doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine for COVID-19.

Alberta and Saskatchewan say it’s a matter of supply constraints; there simply isn’t enough AstraZeneca in the provinces. Ontario is pausing first doses out of an “abundance of caution” over the risk of VITT — vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia — an unusual clotting disorder that can cause rare cases of serious blood clots, including clots in the brain and other critical organs. Ontario is also expecting increased supplies of Pfizer and Moderna, mRNA vaccines that haven’t been linked with VITT. The risk-benefit has shifted, experts say. Here’s a breakdown of where things stand with the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Click here for a breakdown of where things stand with the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Questions remain about the future of the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot in Canada

Questions remained Wednesday about the future of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in Canada as Manitoba limited use of the shot and Ontario said it was deciding how it would use an incoming shipment reserved for second doses.

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Ontario — which has stopped administering AstraZeneca as a first dose over concerns about a rare clotting disorder — announced it will receive a quarter-million doses of the vaccine next week but is still reviewing when it will open up appointments for second doses.

Alberta, too, has stopped offering the shot to those who have yet to be vaccinated, but cites a lack of supply for the move.

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Province partners with business chambers on rapid testing

Alberta is announcing a new partnership with Alberta Chambers of Commerce which will make it easier for small local businesses to obtain and use COVID-19 rapid test kits.

The agreement will have local chambers of commerce across Alberta receive rapid test kits and a pre-approved screening plan from Alberta Health.

Chambers will then distribute the tests to business and not-for-profit organizations in the community. Business and organizations that receive the tests will report testing numbers back to their local chamber each week, and those statistics will be shared with Alberta Health.

Almost a third of international air travellers allowed to skip quarantine hotel, but government won’t say why

Almost one third of all air travellers arriving in Canada have been allowed to skip the mandatory stay in a government-approved quarantine hotel, a rate of exemption from the controversial COVID-19 control measure that could undermine its public health goals.

About 88,000 arriving international air travellers were deemed exempt from the expensive hotel stay requirement, according to the most recent data from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). The agency would not provide a breakdown of the reasons for these exemptions.

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The PHAC data shows at least 30 per cent of international air travellers, unlike others, didn’t have to show proof of a pre-booked and fully paid stay at one of the approved hotels near the airports in the four cities in Canada allowed to accept international flights: Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary.

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Drive-in entertainment returning to Telus Spark this summer

Movie fans will be able to catch some of their favourite flicks from the comfort of their car as the BIG ART Drive-In Returns to Telus Spark this summer.

The venue will have more than just movies. The organizers are promising augmented films, live concerts, special events and community gatherings.

No movies or events have been announced yet. but organizers are looking for suggestions of what you’d like to see on the big screen.

More details can be found at http://bigartdrivein.com.

UK’s Johnson announces COVID-19 inquiry next year

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced an inquiry next year into the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic that is likely to focus on why the United Kingdom suffered Europe’s worst death toll and one of the world’s deepest economic slumps.

In the face of accusations he was slow to impose lockdowns, Johnson and his ministers have admitted there are lessons to be learned from the crisis, but point to the United Kingdom’s swift vaccine rollout as evidence that there were also successes.

“This process will place the state’s actions under the microscope,” Johnson told parliament on Wednesday in announcing the timing of the investigation. “Amid such tragedy, the state has an obligation to examine its actions as rigorously and candidly as possible and to learn every lesson for the future.”

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Trudeau says COVID vaccines and restrictions can lead to better summer for Canadians

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday Canadians can expect a much better summer, but only if they get vaccinated and continue to follow health restrictions and push COVID cases down to low levels.

Trudeau said Canadians need to continue to get COVID-19 vaccines and follow health restrictions, but there is a way forward.

“If we can do this, we can have a more normal, better summer and a one-dose summer sets us up for a two-dose fall,” he said.

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Tuesday

Cross-border travel up in 2021, but still far below 2019 numbers

While international arrivals are up from what they were last year, they’re still far below normal.

A report released Tuesday by Statistics Canada shows there were 55,200 trips by Americans entering the country at land border crossings in April 2021.

While this nearly doubles the 28,100 that crossed into Canada last April, it’s 94% fewer than the more than 900,000 recorded in April 2019.

The same trends also apply to air travel — 17,400 foreigners entered Canada last month, up from just 7,500 a year ago, and far below April 2019’s 494,400.

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Tuesday

Alberta Justice Minister Kaycee Madu apologizes for accusing NDP, media and federal government of wanting a COVID-19 disaster

Alberta Justice Minister Kaycee Madu apologized Tuesday for accusing the NDP, media and federal government of wanting a COVID-19 disaster, one day after those comments sparked outrage and his office said he wouldn’t say sorry.

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In a Facebook post published Friday, Madu said the fact that the majority of people survive COVID-19 is not a reason for the government not to try to prevent deaths by implementing public health measures.

“It is also not a reason to wait until we overwhelm our health care system, then create public panic, and see Albertans in field and make-shift hospitals gasping for breathe (sic) because we have ran out of ventilators, manpower etc,” he wrote.

“My point is that I don’t think it will be responsible to simply wait until we have a disaster on our hands. That’s what the NDP, the media and the federal Liberals were looking for and want. We simply couldn’t allow that to happen.”

On Tuesday evening, Madu walked back those assertions on both Twitter and Facebook.

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Tuesday

Alberta premier says province in the ‘homestretch’ as it nears 2 million vaccines administered

Premier Jason Kenney says Alberta is in the “homestretch” as it nears a milestone two million vaccines administered, but people must remain vigilant to ensure the COVID-19 situation gets under control.

As of Tuesday, Kenney said nearly 45 per cent of Albertans 18 and older have received their first dose of vaccine to protect against COVID-19. He expects half of Alberta’s population to be partially vaccinated by the first week of June.

“Your vaccine is your ticket back to normal life,” he said. “Of course, the first dose is only half the battle. For all vaccines currently available in Alberta, it takes two doses for you to be fully protected.”

He said people need to hold on “a little longer” and follow public health restrictions to protect the health-care system and fellow Albertans.

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Tuesday

Families grateful for technology donations to support K-12 at-home learning

Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, YES has distributed more than 300 devices to help low-income students learn from home.

“We are seeing need from low-income families grow higher and higher through this pandemic,” said Gar Gar, YES Centre spokesman.

“There are still many students out there, who are just not engaging, they are not logging in, some are even dropping out of school.

“And a lot of it is because they don’t have the technology.”

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Tuesday

1,449 new cases, three deaths; Alberta to pass two million vaccine doses administered tomorrow: Kenney

Premier Jason Kenney joined Dr. Deena Hinshaw for the news conference on Tuesday afternoon to provide an update on the province’s vaccine distribution progress.

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The latest COVID-19 numbers for Alberta:

Watch for the livestream below.

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Tuesday

Organizers of ‘No More Lockdowns Rodeo’ to appear before a judge

Two of the people who organized the anti-lockdown rodeo held near Bowden earlier this month have been called to appear before a judge for breaking the Public Health Act.

Ty and Gail Northcott have received summons to appear in Red Deer Provincial Court on May 17, according to RCMP media relations Const. Chantelle Kelly.

On his Facebook page, Ty Northcott said he received the papers on Monday.

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Tuesday

New art arises from containR mural controversy

A graffiti poem has sprung up in the place of a contentious mural in Sunnyside’s containR Art Park. The mural of a girl in a garden with a worn mask that had the phrase “Let Us Breathe” on it was painted over grey only a few days after it was finished.

Springboard Performance, the group the oversees the park, said it was not what was originally proposed, and approved, and felt the image and wording espoused “dangerous” anti-mask sentiment.

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Tuesday

Alberta will stop giving first doses of AstraZeneca

Health officials in Alberta say there are no known future shipments of AstraZeneca coming at this time, and it plans to use its remaining 8,400 shots as second doses.

About 255,000 Albertans have received their first does of AstraZeneca, and 2,200 have received the second dose, according to Alberta Health spokesperson Tom McMillan.

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