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Premier Jason Kenney said an additional 650,000 Albertans are now eligible to become fully immunized
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Albertans who received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine in April can now book their second dose ahead of schedule as the province accelerates its vaccine rollout with bolstered supply.
The expansion came into effect immediately on Thursday, with tens of thousands of Albertans flooding the online booking tool to secure their second shot days in advance of the original plan.
Premier Jason Kenney said an additional 650,000 Albertans are now eligible to become fully immunized.
“Every day we can get further ahead of schedule is another day closer to the end of the pandemic,” said Kenney. “This is great news, not just for those who will be fully vaccinated sooner than they thought but for everyone in the province who will benefit from widespread immunity.”
Through end-of-day Wednesday, more than 3.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine had been administered in the province. About 16.7 per cent of the eligible population is now fully vaccinated and 67.8 per cent have at least one dose.
But tens of thousands of Albertans still need to get their first shot for Alberta to enter the final stage of its “open for summer” plan, which is contingent on a 70 per cent immunization threshold to fully reopen.
Kenney said 71,000 first dose appointments have been booked over the next week, but about 100,000 are needed for the province to hit its target.
“If everybody shows up that’s made a booking in the next week for a first dose, we’ll be just a couple of days shy,” said Kenney. “We’re only growing by 0.2, 0.3 per cent of eligible population a day, so it’s moving slow.”
He said Alberta is on track to hit the 70 per cent mark as early as June 19 for an opening on July 3 or 4.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, said the province is still encouraging as many Albertans as possible to get vaccinated.
She said work is underway to determine alternative thresholds for reopening, such as higher level of protection from second doses, should Alberta hover below 70 per cent for an extended period of time.
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Kenney said the province is also considering a vaccine lottery, much like Manitoba and some U.S. states have done, to encourage people to get vaccinated against the deadly virus. In New York, for example, the jackpot is $5 million.
All vaccinated Albertans would be eligible regardless of when they received their shots, added Hinshaw, urging people not to wait for a potential competition.
As part of a push to get needles in the arms of Albertans, Alberta Health Services launched a three-day “immunization blitz” in downtown Calgary. However, fewer than 500 of a possible 4,000 first doses were administered through end of day Wednesday at the TELUS Convention Centre.
Alberta Health Services said 276 people were given a COVID-19 shot at the large-scale vaccination clinic on Wednesday after attracting just 200 people the day before, representing a paltry 12 per cent turnout over two days.
It follows a provincial trend in which thousands of appointments for first shots of COVID-19 vaccine have gone unfilled in recent weeks.
Experts say the province is hitting a wall in its immunization campaign and must target individuals who face accessibility barriers and are vaccine hesitant to meet its 70 per cent immunization threshold.
AHS said in a statement that vaccine is reconstituted as needed and no doses are wasted, even if demand is less than anticipated at participating clinics.
“We are continuing our efforts and considering options to ensure that everyone who wants their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will receive it,” said the public health agency. “AHS encourages all Albertans born in 2009 or earlier to protect themselves and others by being vaccinated as soon as possible.”
On Thursday, 178 additional cases of COVID-19 were recorded in the province, bringing the active case count to 3,810. The new cases were identified from 5,501 tests, representing a positivity rate of about 3.3 per cent.
The provincial death toll now sits at 2,262 after six deaths were reported over the past 24 hours.
There are 306 Albertans in hospital receiving treatment for COVID-19, 81 of whom are in ICU.
alsmith@postmedia.com
Twitter: @alanna_smithh
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