COVID-19 Live Updates: News on coronavirus in Calgary for June 11

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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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170 new cases, three deaths

Alberta’s positivity rate reached a low not seen since last October, as it reported 170 new cases of COVID-19 and three new deaths.

The province also reported 40 new cases of the Delta variant, with 34 of those cases being reported in the Calgary zone.

The three deaths include a woman in her 60s from the Edmonton zone, a man in his 60s from the Calgary zone, and a man in his 80s from the Calgary zone.

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People’s Party leader Maxime Bernier charged after anti-rules rallies in Manitoba

The leader of the People’s Party of Canada has been arrested in Manitoba after attending a rally against COVID-19 restrictions.

RCMP say Maxime Bernier was charged with exceeding public gathering limits and violating Manitoba’s requirement to self-isolate upon entering the province.

The arrest south of Winnipeg occurred before Bernier was to arrive at a protest in the city.

Bernier is a former federal Conservative who served as a cabinet minister in Stephen Harper’s government.

Read more.

AHS files $1.3M defamation lawsuit against mayoral candidate Kevin J. Johnston

Online broadcasts by mayoral candidate Kevin J. Johnston calling Alberta Health Services employees murderers and Nazis are defamatory, a $1.3-million lawsuit claims.

Johnson has taken part in numerous protests against COVID-19 health restrictions.

In one media interview the defendant videotaped and posted online Johnston vowed to send AHS workers to prison.

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Two-day first dose clinic opening up at Genesis Centre

Alberta Health Services (AHS) is offering no appointment, first dose COVID-19 immunization clinics over a two day period at the Genesis Centre starting on June 15.

These clinics are for first doses only and up to 500 Pfizer immunizations can be provided each day. The clinic will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 7555 Falconbridge Blvd N.E.

Please have your Alberta Health Card if you have one, along with photo ID.

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Calgary Stampede Rodeo granted travel exemption from federal government

International professional rodeo participants along with some support staff and workers have been granted an exemption from international quarantine rules in order to attend the Calgary Stampede, Premier Jason Kenney announced Friday.

The exemption was signed and granted by federal Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marco Mendicino, allowing international participants to avoid standard COVID-19 testing and having to isolate at a hotel upon entry to Canada. A letter signed by the minister that was tweeted by Kenney says they will have to abide by a “robust mitigation plan”.

The exemption allows participants a one-time entry into the country to attend the stampede.

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Canada will share up to 100 mln doses of COVID-19 vaccine with nations in need

Canada will share up to 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines with countries in need, though a portion of this has already been announced, a government official said on Friday, adding that the domestic vaccination campaign will not be affected.

The announcement will be made at the G7 meeting in England that runs through Sunday, the official said. The pledge includes what Canada has already committed, which is C$765 million ($632 million) to COVAX, the official said.

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Heart inflammation in young men higher than expected after Pfizer, Moderna vaccines: CDC

A higher-than-expected number of young men have experienced heart inflammation after their second dose of the mRNA COVID-19 shots from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, according to data from two vaccine safety monitoring systems, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Thursday.

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The CDC and other health regulators have been investigating heart inflammation cases after Israel’s Health Ministry reported that it had found a likely link to the condition in young men who received Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.

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Thursday

Alberta accelerates second dose rollout for people jabbed in April

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 jab 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.

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Thursday

WestJet expands winter service to Hawaii

WestJet is expanding its winter service to Hawaii, citing an expected jump in demand as COVID-related travel restrictions ease.

The Calgary-based airline said it will offer more 787 Dreamliner flights to Maui and is adding a new, non-stop route between Calgary and Kona, starting in December. In all, the airline’s weekly Hawaii service will grow to 57 round-trip flights on 10 routes.

“With easing travel restrictions, we know our guests are planning to turn their long-awaited Hawaiian getaway dreams into a well-deserved reality,” John Weatherill, the airline’s chief commercial officer, said in a news release.

Dreamliner service to Maui will be offered from Calgary and Vancouver.

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Thursday

Calgary Pride opts for virtual parade, drive-in events for 2021 festival

Calgary Pride organizers are planning the 2021 festival with a hybrid of virtual and in-person events, putting the focus on safety as public health restrictions change.

The organization announced some early plans Thursday, as questions are swirling about many of Alberta’s major summer events. Some, including Edmonton’s K-Days, have been cancelled. The Calgary Stampede is planned to go ahead in July, but details on changes for COVID-19 safety are still being worked out — and the Cowboys tent won’t be active this summer.

The Calgary Pride festival runs Aug. 27 to Sept. 6, but Hasina Juma, the group’s director of organizational change, said decisions needed to be made now for the sake of certainty in the planning process.

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Read more.

Thursday

Snowbirds asked to submit vaccine info to AHS

Alberta Health Services would like to hear from any Albertan who may have gotten one or two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine outside of Canada.

People in that situation can bring their immunization record to any AHS public health clinic to have their immunization record updated.

Alberta chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said having that data will help the province make evidence-based decisions.

She also said people who received their first dose outside the province may still sign up for their second dose as soon as they are eligible.

Thursday

178 new cases, six deaths

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Alberta chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said there were 178 new cases of COVID-91 reported in the past 24 hours on about 5,500 tests. That represents a positivity rate of 3.3 per cent.

Six new deaths have also been reported.

Hospitalization numbers continue to decline, with 306 in hospital including 81 in ICU.

Thursday

Alberta moves to Stage 2 of the ‘Open for Summer Plan’

A heap of excitement with a hint of worry around staffing is brewing among Calgary’s hospitality industry as Alberta is set to enter Stage 2 of its “open for summer” plan today.

Here is the full list provided by the province: 

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Indoor masking and distancing requirements remain in place throughout Stage 2. Some restrictions continue to apply to activities within each step.

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Thursday

GraceLife Church files court application seeking immediate return of building and property

GraceLife Church has applied to the Court of Queen’s Bench seeking the court strike down the COVID-19 public health restrictions and grant the immediate return of the church and property.

On April 7, Alberta Health Services with assistance from the RCMP closed the Parkland County church and put up barricades around the building after repeated violations of COVID-19 public health orders.

The barricades have been in place since and in the meantime, congregants of GraceLife have continued to gather at secret locations, the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, which is representing the church, said in a Thursday news release.

Read more.

Thursday

Vaccine booking portal to be offline from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

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Mayoral candidate and councillor calls on province to rethink ‘Open for Summer’ thresholds

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A Calgary councillor and mayoral candidate in this fall’s municipal elections wants the province to ensure all communities meet the 70 per cent first dose threshold for reopening.

Coun. Jyoti Gondek notes that fewer than 55 per cent of Albertas aged 20-30 have received their first dose, and that many parts of Calgary have barely hit 60 per cent.

“With Alberta’s Stage 3 reopening tied directly to vaccination rates, a more contagious variant and diminishing demand for first doses of COVID-19 vaccine, the Kenney government must ensure all groups are equitably represented in the 70 per cent threshold,” said Gondek in a release.

She says the province must ensure the 70 per cent threshold is met “across the board” before moving to Stage 3 of the reopening.

Thursday

AHS sees slow uptake on its three-day vaccine blitz

A three-day vaccine blitz by Alberta Health Services is failing to reach as many people as the health authority hoped.

Starting Tuesday, AHS made 2,000 doses of Pfizer available each day for three days on a walk-in basis to anyone who had not had their first dose.

On Tuesday, only “about 200” took advantage of the offer, and yesterday, 276 people walked in to get their first dose.

The vaccine blitz continues today at the Telus Convention Centre until 7:20 p.m. and is open to anyone who is seeking their first dose.

Thursday

Cowboys Dance Hall cancels 2021 music festival

A key part of the Stampede celebrations will not be happening in 2021.

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The Cowboys Music Festival, which has brought major music performers into Calgary to perform during the Stampede, announced it won’t be going ahead with this year’s celebration.

In a series of social media posts, the organizers explained their reasons for the decision to cancel.

“We have taken into account all the information surrounding federal, provincial, City of Calgary and AHS health restrictions, vaccination rates on first and second doses, travel restrictions and more,” reads the post.

“Based on this information, we have concluded that creating and bringing you the true ‘Cowboys experience’ is not possible this year.”

The social media posts say the priority needs to be on getting everyone’s day-to-day lives back to normal first.

The posts promise an event that will be “more legendary than ever” next year.

Thursday

Calgary Zoo reopens indoor animal habitats, buildings today

The Calgary Zoo announced today it has reopened its indoor animal habitats and buildings today as part of the province’s Stage 2 reopening. The indoor buildings have been closed since December.

Zoo visitors are still required to purchase a timed ticket before arriving.

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Thursday

Race is on for Canada to vaccinate its way out of potential 4th wave

Canada’s COVID odyssey is drawing closer to its end. The wild card hovering on the horizon, however, is Delta, the variant behind runaway infections in India and that is now “essentially across Canada,” according to the country’s chief public health officer.

In fact, Delta is not yet widespread, but will be as soon as borders open and travel resumes, said University of Ottawa virologist Dr. Marc-André Langlois.

Read more.

Thursday

COVID-free Auckland, New Zealand, crowned world’s most livable city thanks to pandemic response

Auckland has been named the world’s most livable city off the strength of New Zealand’s pandemic response.

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The metropolitan area that is home to around 1.6 million people topped a global livability index released by the Economist Intelligence Unit on Wednesday.

“The cities that have risen to the top of the rankings this year are largely the ones that have taken stringent measures to contain the pandemic,” the consultancy said in a statement. “New Zealand’s tough lockdown allowed their society to reopen and enabled citizens of cities like Auckland … to enjoy a lifestyle that looked similar to pre-pandemic life.”

Meanwhile, poor pandemic outcomes caused slippage among some European and Canadian cities that often receive high rankings.

Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto fell from the top 10. Vancouver was ranked the highest Canadian city on the index at 16th most liveable.

Read more.