COVID-19 Live Updates: News on coronavirus in Calgary for April 16

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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.

Alberta logs 1,616 more COVID-19 cases as Hinshaw letter sheds light on summer gatherings

Alberta tallied its second-highest number of new COVID-19 infections of the third wave to date Friday, with 1,616 new cases logged.

The continued surge come as a letter from Alberta’s top doctor to industry groups provides suggests the province may lift restrictions on audiences at events in July.

The 1,616 new cases of the novel coronavirus Friday came from just under 17,000 tests, representing a positivity rate of 9.6 per cent.

More-contagious variants represented more than half of that case count, with 898 more cases in Alberta detected as variant strains.

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City police investigate possible refusals by air travellers to quarantine

Calgary police say they’re investigating several refusals by travellers to quarantine in hotels as required by federal orders.

And federal officials say they believe nine tickets have been issued for the offence under provincial legislation.

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Those police investigations could lead to fines, though no charges have yet been laid in Calgary since Feb. 22 when Ottawa mandated the three-day, self-paid hotel stays where returning international travellers must await COVID-19 test results.

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The ‘super-spreader’ party that never was: NDP says Kenney sowing distrust with misleading stories

Alberta’s Opposition says Premier Jason Kenney is sowing distrust by recounting misleading anecdotes to illustrate COVID-19 policy decisions.

“I think this is about trust. I think this is about telling the truth,” NDP critic Sarah Hoffman said Friday.

“I think we’ve seen many examples where the premier tries to bolster his own narrative.

“This is a trend of being dishonest, and I think it really does call into question what trust and confidence we can have in the things the premier says and does.”

Hoffman’s comments came a day after Kenney’s office confirmed the United Conservative premier “misspoke” when he used an anecdote about a super-spreader birthday party in Athabasca as a key driver of recent soaring COVID-19 rates in the town north of Edmonton.

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‘It’s demoralizing’: Vaccine shoppers are declining AstraZeneca in Ottawa

Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth had worked a long time to get doses of vaccine to offer patients in her Glebe family medicine practice.

Now she has 200 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine and is gearing up to start administering it on Monday. But she has had a hard time booking patients.

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Some patients say they don’t want the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has been the subject of reports of rare blood clotting events, preferring to wait until they can book for a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

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1,616 new cases, no new deaths

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New restrictions announced in Ontario as cases continue to rise; police gain powers to enforce stay-at-home order

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced new restrictions on Friday afternoon as the province continues to struggle with the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new restrictions include:

Ford also said the province would increase the supply of vaccines to hotspots. Ontario police also now have the authority to stop and ask people who are out of their homes why they are not at home.

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Doctors favour lowering age cut-off for AstraZeneca vaccine as cases surge

Doctors say the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine should be offered to Canadians in a wider age range as COVID-19 infections soar in many parts of the country.

Provinces limited eligibility for that vaccine to those 55 and older, after a small number of cases of an unusual and serious blood clotting condition appeared in younger people — mostly women — who had received a shot.

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Dr. Daniel Gregson with the University of Calgary says the age limit can easily be dropped to as low as 35.

He says uncertainty has been planted in peoples’ minds about getting AstraZeneca, but they do things that are riskier on a daily basis without a second thought.

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Manitoba health official warns of rule-breakers, worrying signs of COVID-19 increase

A top Manitoba health official warned Friday of increasing signs that a third COVID-19 wave is taking hold in the province due in part to people breaking public health orders.

“Our contact tracers are reporting people holding larger group gatherings and house parties … and a lot more interactions with people from other households,” said Dr. Jazz Atwal, deputy chief public health officer.

“This does not align to the orders and it creates a higher risk of transmission.”

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Quebec to deploy sound trucks in Montreal to announce mobile vaccine clinics

Quebec will deploy sound trucks in hard-hit Montreal neighbourhoods to announce the presence of mobile clinics offering Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines, Health Minister Christian Dube said Friday.

There will be more than 20,000 doses of that vaccine available with or without appointments over the weekend, Dube said on Twitter.

He said sound trucks will blast messages in multiple languages along residential streets in western Montreal and in the city’s diverse Cote-des-Neiges borough, adding that the AstraZeneca vaccine is for those 55 and over.

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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.

$17M class-action lawsuit filed against Calgary restaurant over COVID-19 outbreak

Joey Eau Claire staff didn’t follow proper Alberta Health Services protocols leading to a COVID-19 outbreak at the restaurant, a $17-million class-action lawsuit claims.

The court action, filed by Calgary firm Guardian Law Group against Joey Tomato’s (Canada) Inc., alleges patrons became sick because employees failed to adequately ensure safety steps were followed to protect customers.

“The defendant, through its employees, breached the duty of care and failed to meet the applicable standard of care,” the claim states.

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Trudeau stresses need to follow health rules as new deal brings more Pfizer vaccine

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau highlighted the federal government’s aid to the provinces as he pleased with Canadians to follow health restrictions for a few more weeks.

“I know you’re exhausted. I know you’re all sick and tired of COVID-19,” said Trudeau, adding that nobody wants to go through more lockdowns.

“We need to follow the public health rules. We need to hunker down and hang in there for a number of more weeks.”

The feds are helping Ontario with contact tracing staff and isolation hotels as that province sees its highest numbers ever of COVID-19.

He said the federal government is also helping with mobile labs in several western provinces, including Alberta.

Trudeau also touted a new deal signed with Pfizer that will see 8 million more doses of the vaccine. He said the new deal signed will see 4 million additional doses in May, and 2 million additional doses in each of the following two months.

“For next month alone, this will come out to about to double the Pfizer doses we were originally expecting,” said Trudeau.

Tune into the livestream above.

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Dr. Deena Hinshaw reflects on her role in COVID-19 pandemic at University of Alberta talk

Alberta’s chief medical officer of health said she has relied on her support systems and finding small moments of joy while guiding the province through COVID-19, while speaking at a virtual talk hosted by the University of Alberta Thursday evening.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw was the featured speaker at the Peter Lougheed Leadership College’s Leadership in Public Service series titled We are all in this together where she outlined her experience becoming one of the public faces of the COVID-19 pandemic response in Alberta. Hinshaw joined Dr. Lois Harder, principal, provost and vice-president of academics at the college.

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Hinshaw said she has relied on family and friends as well as people sending her messages of support throughout the past year as she has been praised while at the same time has come under fire for her role in enacting and reducing public health restrictions. She also said she has embraced small pleasures to help find joy.

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AHS shuts down Beiseker restaurant for flouting COVID-19 rules

AHS ordered a Beiseker restaurant to shut down on Tuesday after an inspector found the establishment was providing dine-in service.

In a health inspector’s report, Arcadia Cafe, located at 1-308 6th Street in Beiseker, was serving customers inside its dining room in violation of provincial health orders which limit dine-in service.

The inspector also found more than six patrons seated together at tables, a lack of adequate spacing or barriers between those tables, and a failure by the restaurant to keep contact tracing information.

The restaurant was ordered to cease all service until AHS approved its relaunch plan.

Beiseker is located 75 kilometres northeast of Calgary.

Patio permits in high demand as Calgary restaurants pivot to outdoor service only

As restaurants and bars pivot to outdoor dining with the recent closure of indoor service, applications to the city for pop-up patios have already surpassed last season.

With patio-friendly weather expected on the weekend — after less than ideal temperatures last weekend — Ernie Tsu, president of the Alberta Hospitality Association and owner of Trolley 5 Brewpub on 17th Avenue, hopes the city will expedite the patio application process to give businesses a leg up.

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“Restaurants are mobilizing as fast as they can to get their patio permits. Hopefully, the city can come through for the restaurants that are still waiting,” Tsu said Thursday.

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Thursday

Lethbridge physician’s death linked to COVID-19

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Lethbridge psychiatrist Dr. Wayne John Edwards is the second Alberta doctor to die due COVID-19, the province confirmed Thursday.

Edwards, 66, is being remembered for his commitment to the field of medicine and his love of music.

“With great sorrow, we recognize the death of a Lethbridge physician related to COVID-19,” the Alberta Medical Association said in a tweet Thursday.

“So many Albertans have lost loved ones and friends to this terrible disease. The physician community joins in mourning a colleague and leader of his health community.”

Edwards died at the Chinook Regional Hospital on Tuesday, according to his obituary in Lethbridge News Now. His death marks the seventh fatality of a health-care worker in Alberta due to COVID-19.

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Thursday

Alberta to open AstraZeneca walk-in clinics; Hinshaw stresses effectiveness, low risk of vaccine

Alberta Health Services will open two walk-in clinics administrating the AstraZeneca vaccine in Calgary and Edmonton on Saturday, allowing those 55 to 64 years old, regardless of where they live, to receive immunization against the COVID-19 virus.

The Calgary clinic, located at 10301 Southport Lane S.W., will initially operate until next Wednesday, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.

Albertans eligible for the AstraZeneca vaccine can also book appointments at one of 710 pharmacies across the province. Chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said walk-in vaccinations are available at 26 pharmacies in Calgary and Edmonton for those aged 55 to 64.

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Hinshaw strongly urged those eligible for their first shot to take advantage of one of those options, touting the effectiveness of the vaccine and clarifying that risks associated with AstraZeneca are low.

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Thursday

Vancouver biggest source for domestic COVID infected flights, Calgary second: Health Canada

Data made available by Health Canada shows, so far in April, 39 flights departed from Vancouver International Airport carrying passengers who tested positive for COVID-19.

Calgary was Canada’s second-biggest source of infected domestic flights with 31, followed by Toronto with 23, Edmonton with 12 and Montreal with six.

Unlike international passengers, which under Canadian law are required to present a recent negative COVID-19 test before boarding and submit to a second test and mandatory quarantine upon arrival, no such rules exist for domestic travel.

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Thursday

No more pandemic break for street cleaning parking scofflaws

After a year of softer enforcement, Calgarians who fail to observe a street sweeping parking ban are facing stricter policing as spring street cleaning is set to begin next week.

Residential street cleaning will commence Monday with sweeping to occur weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Signage will alert residents to the schedule in their neighbourhood.

Last year as a compassionate pandemic gesture, only 8,801 tickets were issued to parking scofflaws compared to the 36,453 handed out in 2019.

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And while 881 vehicles were towed to make way for street sweepers in 2019, just 68 were hauled away last year.

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Thursday

Gold’s Gym Northgate issued closure order for violating health restrictions

Alberta Health Services has issued a closure order to a Calgary location of Gold’s Gym for violating public health restrictions.

The closure order issued Wednesday to Gold’s Gym Northgate located at 109, 565 36 St. N.E. said that health inspectors found clients working out without trainers, trainers working out by themselves, and multiple trainers doing workouts together with clients; three-metre physical distancing between people working out was not being maintained; and clients weren’t wearing masks properly.

Current public health restrictions mandate only one-on-one training, masks to be worn by trainers at all times and clients while they are not engaged in high intensity exercise and three-metre physical distancing is maintained during exercises and between pairs of trainers and clients.

The gym was ordered to immediately close until proper one-on-one training structures are adhered to, clients are wearing masks properly, and three-metre distancing rules are followed.

Thursday

1,646 new cases, five deaths

Alberta chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw provided an update on the COVID-19 pandemic in the province on Thursday afternoon

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Watch the full livestream below.

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Thursday

‘A case of self-congratulatory white privilege’: Calgary reverend calls out GraceLife Church

A reverend of a Calgary church is calling out Edmonton-area GraceLife Church after it met underground on Sunday.

GraceLife had been defying COVID-19 restrictions on worship services until RCMP and Alberta Health Services surrounded the church with a fence last week. Protesters gathered at the church on Sunday, while the church held services “underground” at an undisclosed location.

Reverend Dr. Greg Glatz, the minister of Knox United Church, say GraceLife pastor James Coates — and Calgary pastor Tim Stephens whose Fairview Baptist Church has also been defying public health restrictions — get “their Bible half-right and in so doing they get it all wrong.”

“This celebratory approach to the notoriety these churches have gained by defying public health and safety orders makes a mockery of the real underground church movement,” Glatz wrote in a letter posted on Twitter. “Underground churchgoers have faced arrest, torture and death for their beliefs and practices. GraceLife Church is not an underground church. It’s a case of self-congratulatory white privilege enjoying its ill-gotten celebrity, with little consequence other than the inconvenience of finding a new location to defy public health and safety orders.”

Glatz went on to say that Stephens misinterprets the Bible.

“Arrogantly and ignorantly defying public health and safety orders to hold a worship service is not how the Christian tradition defines love and good deeds,” Glatz wrote.