COVID-19 Live Updates: News on coronavirus in Calgary for May 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 had an upcoming surgery postponed? Do you have a family member in the ICU, or have you recovered after spending time in the ICU? 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.

Thousands of Alberta workers have claimed compensation for COVID-19 infection: WCB

The Alberta Workers’ Compensation Board has approved more than 8,000 claims related to workplace acquisition of COVID-19, with hundreds of Albertans missing weeks of work due to their illness, data show.

The WCB report shows through the end of April 2021, the board accepted 8,288 claims for workers with novel coronavirus illness arising in the course of their employment. About 11 per cent of those claims resulted in workers missing more than 21 days of work, and about two per cent were out of work for more than 60 days.

These are workers with “long COVID,” an illness where patients can experience debilitating symptoms of the virus weeks or even months after they first become sick.

On average, workers were away from the job for an average of 15.1 days. The WCB also accepted 12 fatality claims for workplace-acquired COVID-19.

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GraceLife church continuing to gather as Alberta steps up enforcement against scofflaws

GraceLife Church of Edmonton is continuing to hold services despite having their church shuttered and Alberta putting a stronger emphasis on enforcing public health measures.

Despite the closure, the church has uploaded YouTube videos each week over the past month showing Pastor James Coates delivering sermons in undisclosed locations. A video of last Sunday’s service shows Coates delivering a nearly hour-long sermon in front of a grey background. No one else can be seen in the video, but others can be heard in the background on multiple occasions. In past videos, parts of a crowd can be seen watching the sermons.

Representatives for GraceLife did not return requests for comment. In the first video after Alberta Health Services seized the church, Coates begins his sermon by saying “They can take our facility, but we’ll just find another one.”

Alberta Health Services spokesman Kerry Williamson said they are aware of the videos being posted online but they cannot currently enforce health measures for these gatherings.

“AHS Environmental Public Health can only investigate if we have an address or location. We currently do not have that,” said Williamson.

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Fortin’s departure unlikely to slow down Canada’s vaccine rollout operation, says expert

The sudden departure of the senior military officer in charge of Canada’s vaccine rollout is unlikely to slow down the high-profile operation, an expert in military affairs said Saturday.

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Christian Leuprecht, a professor at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont., said the unexpected reassignment Friday of Maj-Gen. Dany Fortin won’t affect vaccine distribution because the military always has a second in command ready to get the job done.

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Feds face calls for answers following Fortin’s departure from COVID-19 vaccine campaign

The federal Liberal government is facing growing calls for answers on why the military general who was overseeing Canada’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign has been sidelined, as well as who will be replacing him.

The Defence Department announced in a terse three-line statement on Friday evening that Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin was stepping aside from his role overseeing the delivery and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines across the country.

Yet the reasons for his departure were not revealed, aside from a brief mention of a “military investigation.”

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People with disabilities even more alone during pandemic: cerebral palsy spokeswoman

YELLOWKNIFE — Riley Oldford is usually out playing sledge hockey or hanging out with friends, but since the start of the pandemic he’s mostly been at home.

The 16-year-old, who has cerebral palsy and a chronic lung condition, was the first person in the Northwest Territories under 18 to get vaccinated when he got the shot earlier this month.

The N.W.T. prioritized residents with chronic conditions or at high risk for COVID-19 in its vaccine rollout, but Oldford wasn’t originally eligible because of his age.

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On May 6, the territory started offering the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to youth between 12 and 17, a day after Health Canada approved its use.

Yellowknife has had relatively few cases of COVID-19 compared with other cities in Canada, but Oldford was taken out of school to reduce the risk of him getting infected.

For the past 14 months, the Grade 10 student has been learning from home.

“By now, I’ve almost gotten used to it,” Oldford said.

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Saturday

Alberta grants rural rodeo COVID-19 exemption as cases hit month-plus low

A central Alberta rodeo went forward Saturday after Alberta Health granted organizers an exemption from ongoing public health restrictions.

The rodeo comes as Alberta’s case counts of the novel coronavirus reach their lowest point in more than a month.

The event, featuring Alberta junior and senior high school students and hosted by the Alberta High School Rodeo Association, kicked off Saturday afternoon in Ponoka, about 60 kilometres north of Red Deer.

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Saturday

Calgary senior celebrates 100th birthday after pandemic devastates care home

A Calgary senior celebrated her 100th birthday in style Saturday with a celebration hosted at her long-term care home.

Marion Greene reached the century mark on May 15, 2021, marked by a party on the front patio of Extendicare Hillcrest, a long-term care home in northwest Calgary, and a drive-by salute from city firetrucks.

“She’s an amazing woman and we’re so lucky to have her as her as our mom, and so many people as lucky to have her as a friend,” said Michael Greene, one of Marion’s four children.

“She brightens people’s lives up.”

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Saturday

Alberta summer camps remain in limbo with no clear direction from the province

Indecision by the Alberta government on whether to allow summer camps to open this year is threatening an entire industry and could harm youth, says a local operator.

Heather O’Neill, executive director of Kananaskis-based Camp Cadicasu, said time is running out for overnight and day camp operators to make decisions for the summer. They need to know immediately whether to go ahead with hiring, planning and alerting families.

“There’s a two-week window to give overnight camps, in particular, the heads up, the thumbs up,” said O’Neill. “If we don’t know by the end of May, we don’t have time to get things in place. There will be no camps this summer.”

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Saturday

1,195 new cases, 3 new deaths

Alberta Health reported its lowest daily COVID-19 case count in over one month today.

Today’s numbers are the lowest since April 12.

Three people were reported to have died, including a man in his 40s from the Calgary zone.

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Saturday

‘Like New Year’s Eve’: Polish bars celebrate midnight reopening

Champagne corks popped at the stroke of midnight on Friday as bars and restaurants in Poland opened their outdoor terraces for the first time in over six months and many Poles went out to celebrate.

Bars and restaurants can now offer outdoor service, with indoor service due to reopen with limited capacity on May 28. Since October, they have been able to serve only take-away food.

Additionally, from Saturday Poles are no longer required to wear masks outside in places where they can observe social distancing.

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Saturday

Greece formally opens to tourists

Greece formally opened to visitors on Saturday, kicking off a summer season it hopes will resurrect its vital tourism industry battered by the coronavirus pandemic.

After months of lockdown restrictions, Greece also opened its museums and famed archaeological sites, including the ancient Acropolis, this week.

“I feel really alive and good because it has been such a hard and long year because of COVID,” said Victoria Sanchez, a 22-year-old student on holiday from the Czech Republic.

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