COVID-19 Live Updates: News on coronavirus in Calgary for April 15

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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.

Poll: What would it take for you to attend Stampede?

In our poll yesterday, more than half of respondents said they didn’t think the 2021 Stampede will go ahead. Premier Jason Kenney has spoken several times about his hopes that the annual event will proceed in some fashion. Our question today assumes it is going to happen.

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Yesterday’s results:

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More than 350 Calgary pharmacies now offering COVID-19 vaccine

There are now 354 pharmacies offering the COVID-19 vaccine in Calgary. Although the government said on Monday that “select” pharmacies are taking (AstraZeneca) walk-ins for those aged 55-64, it’s likely best to call ahead. 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.

Canada negotiating contracts to secure COVID-19 booster shots for next year: Anand

Canada’s procurement minister says she is in the midst of negotiating new vaccine contracts to nail down supplies of vaccine booster shots if they’re needed next year.

“We are actively planning for 2022,” Anita Anand said in a recent interview with The Canadian Press.

She said Canada’s first priority remains getting doses now, and while the country remains well behind the United States, United Kingdom and several other countries, its vaccination pace has picked up significantly in the last month.

Read more.

Canadians agree with mandatory hotel quarantines, but few think they’re effective: Survey

A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute looked at Canadians’ attitudes towards travel during a pandemic, as well as the U.S. border closure.

It found that three in five Canadians see mandatory hotel quarantines for returning travellers as a “necessary measure.” However only 30 per cent believe the policy is actually effective at reducing the risk of COVID-19.

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When it comes to the mandatory two-week quarantine, 80 per cent of respondents supported the measure. However more than one-third, 37 per cent, would like to see exemptions made for people who can prove they’re fully vaccinated.

On the U.S. border closure, half of Canadians said they’d be happy to see that closure remain until either the fall (25 per cent) or end of year (31 per cent).

In terms of returning to normal, 29 per cent of Canadians now say they think things will never be normal. The institute noted a correlation between those who say they won’t take the vaccine ad those who think things will never return to normal.

The survey polled 1,577 Canadian adults who are part of the Angus Reid Forum. While not a randomized sample, a probability sample of this size would have a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

AHS orders boxing gym to stop holding group fitness classes

An AHS inspector ordered a southeast Calgary boxing gym to tighten up its COVID-19 precautions and to stop holding group adult fitness classes last Saturday.

The inspector found that Sweat Science Boxing, located at 1406 9 Avenue S.E., was hosting a youth fitness class with kids and the coaches training closer together than the required 3 metres.

According to the inspector’s report, neither of the coaches were wearing suitable face coverings, and a manager confirmed that adult classes were still taking place.

Under the current Step 1 restrictions, youth group fitness activities are still allowed with certain precautions, but all indoor adult group fitness activities are paused.

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Wednesday

Procurement minister says federal government has spent $8B on COVID vaccine deals

Procurement Minister Anita Anand revealed the government has spent $8 billion on vaccine contracts and defended the government’s overall performance getting shots delivered to Canadians at a House of Commons committee Wednesday.

Anand appeared before the House of Commons government operations committee and said the government has spent about $8 billion on the vaccine deals with seven different companies for hundreds of millions of total doses.

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Wednesday

Alberta administers its millionth does of vaccine

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Wednesday

High school and junior high students transitioning to at-home learning; eight more COVID deaths in Alberta

Students in Grades 7 to 12 at Calgary public and Catholic schools will temporarily shift to at-home learning for at least two weeks, the province announced Wednesday, as it reported more than 1,400 new COVID-19 cases across Alberta.

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Wednesday

Current oilsands outbreaks report 232 active cases

As of April 14, Alberta Health has identified 1,230 oilsands workers that have had COVID-19 in ongoing oilsands outbreaks in the Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo region. There are 232 oilsands workers that are still active.

It is not known how many of these workers are commuters or local residents. A sick oilsands worker is reflected in local numbers if they are a resident of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. If a commuter tests positive in the RMWB or if contact tracing shows the virus was caught locally, that positive case is reflected in the their home community’s statistics.

These numbers do not include past outbreaks that have ended. A workplace outbreak ends after 30 days of no new cases. The numbers do not include oilsands workers that caught COVID-19 outside of a workplace outbreak.

Alberta Health Services (AHS) lists workplaces and schools that have ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks, but does not include active and recovered numbers for each individual site. These numbers were obtained through a media request. RMWB Mayor Don Scott has called for this to change, while AHS says this function could be included in future updates.

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The company hit hardest has been Canadian Natural Resources, which has had 479 cases. The Horizon site has had 303 cases in this current outbreak, with 63 active and 240 recovered. Albian has had 157 cases, with 11 active and 146 recovered. Jackfish has had 19 cases, with 10 active and nine recovered.

Suncor follows, with 371 cases reported in current outbreaks. Suncor base plant, which has had 351 cases in this current outbreak, has 80 active cases. This is more active cases than any other site as of April 14.

The remaining numbers from ongoing oilsands outbreaks include:

—Vincent McDermott, Fort McMurray Today

Wednesday

Grades 7 to 12 students move to at-home learning in Calgary

Grades 7 to 12 in Calgary will be moving to at-home learning.

Alberta Education made the announcement in a press release on Wednesday afternoon that students in Grades 7 to 12 in the Calgary Board of Education and Calgary Catholic School District will move to at-home learning for at least two weeks starting on April 19.

“While everyone’s preference is to learn in school, some school boards are dealing with operational pressures due to rising COVID-19 cases in the community,” Education Minister Adriana LaGrange said in the press release. “The safety of students and staff is my top priority, which is why I am responding to the boards’ requests and respecting their autonomy. By having a clear process in place, we are giving them flexibility to move to at-home learning when necessary.”

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Alberta chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said in the release that the province is seeing a “sharp rise in cases among school-aged Albertans.”

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“The greatest impacts of COVID-19 cases have been in the Grade 7-12 schools,” Calgary Board of Education board chair Marilyn Dennis said in the release. “Moving these students online will help to ensure learning continuity, address operational concerns and support the health and well-being of CBE students, staff and the Calgary community.”

NDP education critic Sarah Hoffman said in a press release that Premier Jason Kenney “clearly doesn’t have any idea what’s happening inside Alberta classrooms or communities.”

“He has failed to give Alberta schools the resources they need to keep classrooms safe,” she said. “The reasons the UCP gave for moving these students are exactly the factors we warned them about. Staff shortages, school closures, too many students in isolation, and community spread. All of these problems were foreseeable months ago, and Jason Kenney did nothing.”

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Wednesday

Indigenous-focused, large-scale COVID-19 immunization clinic opens in Calgary

A new large-scale COVID-19 immunization clinic is addressing barriers to health care for Indigenous people by putting community and culture first.

The urban clinic opened its doors on Wednesday at the Best Western Premier Calgary Plaza Hotel & Conference Centre in the city’s northeast.

It is the second clinic to open thanks to a coalition of Indigenous-led organizations, including the Aboriginal Friendship Centre of Calgary, Siksika Health Services, Okaki and other local partners.

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Read more.

Wednesday

1,412 new cases, eight deaths

The latest COVID-19 numbers for Alberta:

• 1,412 new cases on 15,738 tests
• 420 in hospital; 92 in ICUs
• Eight additional deaths; 2,029 total
• 15,569 active cases; 146,933 recovered
• 778 new variant cases identified; variants are 52.6% of active cases

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There was no live update from chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw on Wednesday afternoon. The next live update is scheduled for Thursday.

Wednesday

COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths in Alberta

Wednesday

Alberta doctors’ offices to start giving COVID-19 vaccines under new pilot program

Ten physician clinics in Alberta will begin administering COVID-19 vaccines to eligible patients under a pilot project starting Monday.

Participating doctors’ offices will receive 200 initial doses of the Moderna vaccine and will contact patients directly to book appointments.

Two in each of the Alberta Health Services health zones – South, Calgary, Central, Edmonton and North – will take part in the pilot. The locations will not be released publicly to “prevent patient care at these clinics being affected by public interest,” the government said in a news release Wednesday.

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Wednesday

Calgary wastewater samples show recent spike in coronavirus

A project that charts the presence of the virus responsible for COVID-19 in Calgary sewage is showing a significant spike since mid-March.

The data, which is available in graph form on a public website, shows levels of the virus trending upward, and sample points higher than the previous highs seen in mid-December, when Calgary was in its second wave.

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Wednesday

Long road to recovery for the Calgary airport due to pandemic

It’ll take years for a pandemic-grounded Calgary International Airport to recover from a devastating 2020, say its operators.

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The airport expects even fewer passengers to move through its terminals this year than last – 5.1 million compared to 5.7 million in 2020 – a 68 per cent descent from a record 18 million recorded in 2019.

“The pandemic decimated demand for travel and erased 25 years of passenger growth at YYC,” said Bob Sartor, President and CEO of the Calgary Airport Authority.

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Wednesday

GraceLife: How an Edmonton-area church became the centre of Alberta’s COVID-19 fight

Last June, GraceLife Church of Edmonton emerged from the first wave of COVID-19 like thousands of other Albertans: hopeful, a bit wary, ready to adapt to the new normal.

“Hello GraceLife family!” church elders wrote in a June 19, 2020, bulletin. Like countless faith groups, GraceLife had moved to online services at the pandemic’s outset. But with the Alberta government easing restrictions, the church opted — “after consideration, discussion, and prayer” — to reopen in-person worship that Sunday.

The bulletin laid out how church leaders decided to return to “nearly normal,” and the safety measures that would be taken to prevent outbreaks. Congregants were asked to refrain from hugs and handshakes. People with symptoms were asked to stay home. The church balcony would be opened for those wanting to socially distance, while the nursery would remain closed.

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