COVID-19 Live Updates: News on coronavirus in Calgary for May 30

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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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Education Plan to use assessment and survey data to better support students next year

In the wake of a disruptive pandemic that tested students in multiple ways, public schools will build new learning strategies this fall based on detailed data collected from assessments and surveys of student concerns.

As part of its new “Education Plan 2021-24,” the Calgary Board of Education is vowing to use that data to strengthen its focus on achievement, equity and well-being, including new ways to support Indigenous students and address racism in schools.

“Over the past 14 months, COVID-19 has been an incredible challenge and has impacted many facets of the education system, at its centre are students and staff,” said Joanne Pitman, CBE superintendent of school improvement.

“The Education Plan sets out a measured response intent on supporting stability and agility as we continue to adjust and set a path forward following the pandemic.”

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Saturday

‘Vast majority’ of COVID-19 patients in Calgary hospitals are unvaccinated, doctors say

Nearly all Calgarians in acute care with COVID-19 have not been immunized against the virus, according to local doctors.

Dr. Eddy Lang, who oversees emergency departments in the Alberta Health Services Calgary zone, said nearly all patients he’s seen in recent weeks had not yet received their first shot.

“While I’m aware of one or maybe two patients who have been (immunized) with COVID, the vast majority, over 95 per cent of patients who require hospitalization have not been vaccinated for whatever reason,” Lang said.

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“There’s no question that the real-life experience reflects the clinical research data, which is that you are very unlikely to require hospitalization if you’ve been vaccinated. The only people coming in are, for the most part, the unvaccinated.”

It’s not surprising a small number of immunized Albertans are still ending up in hospital, Lang said, as no vaccine is perfectly effective. These are sometimes referred to as “breakthrough cases.”

“But in the group we’re seeing in adult hospitals, we see the vaccine is very, very protective against hospitalization,” Lang said, adding those who have been vaccinated and do test positive for COVID-19 generally have a less severe illness.

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Saturday

Academic cheating skyrockets during pandemic: UCalgary researcher

Governments must take action to protect students amid a surge in academic cheating during the COVID-19 pandemic, a Calgary researcher says.

In Canada and elsewhere in the world, more students are resorting to plagiarism or contract cheating like essay mills to make it through their classes, said Sarah Elaine Eaton, an associate professor at the University of Calgary. She said schools in Canada are reporting anywhere from a 38 per cent to a more than 200 per cent increase in academic misconduct during the pandemic.

The spike corresponds to an increase in stress and difficulties for both students and instructors adjusting to virtual learning.

“Just as the COVID-19 pandemic has shown the cracks in our society broadly, it’s also shown the cracks in education, and one of those is around academic misconduct,” Eaton said.

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“These students were just trying to cope. … I think this was something that educational institutions were not prepared for.”

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Saturday

COVID-19 vaccine clinic at Alberta-Montana border will resume in June

A cross-border COVID-19 vaccine clinic is returning for two days in June following outrage from the public after “government bureaucracy” led to its cancellation earlier last week.

The program is being offered even though United States authorities have recently said crossing the border to receive vaccine is not allowed under current travel rules, while Canadian officials have maintained there are no exemptions from testing and quarantine requirements for those returning to Canada after receiving a jab.

The Aamskapi’piikani Medicine Line vaccine clinic, operated by a Montana First Nation, began offering COVID-19 vaccine to members of the Blackfoot Confederacy — and later anyone who was willing to make the trip — last month.

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Saturday

Calaway Park eyes June 12 opening following Alberta Health approval

Calaway Park will open to guests in two weeks after the attraction received Alberta Health approval to reopen for its 2021 season.

The amusement park located just west of Calgary will open June 12, with entrance capped at one-third of the park’s capacity. It will open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. that weekend, before opening daily for the summer with the same hours beginning June 19.

In an update posted to its website, park management said it was “thrilled” to get the green light to open the attraction’s gates.

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Saturday

Pop-up vaccination clinic launches downtown to support unhoused Calgarians

Meeting vulnerable Calgarians where they are will save lives and slow the spread of COVID-19, says a group of community organizations launching a pop-up vaccination clinic in the core.

The initiative, led by BeTheChangeYYC and the Aboriginal Friendship Centre of Calgary, is operating its first drop-in clinic on Saturday afternoon to deliver COVID-19 jabs in the arms of locals experiencing homelessness.

Individuals who are living on Calgary’s streets often have complex needs and can be struggling with addictions or mental health issues, which can create barriers to booking a COVID-19 vaccine appointment.

Another major concern is vaccine hesitancy.

“Because of the close proximity to some of the anti-lockdown marches in the downtown core that have consistently been using language that vaccines will kill you (or) they’re bad for you, we’re having a difficult time encouraging clients to be vaccinated,” said Chaz Smith, president of BeTheChangeYYC.

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