Alberta won’t require close contacts of COVID-19 cases to quarantine as province shifts public health response
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Dr. Deena Hinshaw said quarantining could be required in some high-risk settings such as continuing care facilities or to manage outbreaks, but provincial contact tracers will no longer call close contacts
Author of the article:
Lisa Johnson
Publishing date:
Jul 28, 2021 • 1 hour ago • 3 minute read • 24 Comments 
Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta chief medical officer of health, gives her final regularily scheduled COVID-19 update during a press conference at the Federal Building in Edmonton, on Tuesday, June 29, 2021. Photo by Ian Kucerak /Postmedia Article content
As of Thursday, close contacts of COVID-19 cases in Alberta will no longer be required to isolate, and come next month, those with confirmed cases won’t have to either.
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On Wednesday, at her first in-person update since June 29, chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said quarantining could be required in some high-risk settings such as continuing care facilities or to manage outbreaks, but provincial contact tracers will no longer call close contacts. The province will also no longer do routine asymptomatic testing for close contacts.
Alberta’s case numbers continued to rise Wednesday, with 194 new cases and 1,334 active cases — up from 1,173 active cases the previous day.
Hinshaw emphasized the importance of focusing on severe outcomes rather than case numbers.
“While COVID-19 cases may rise in the coming weeks and months, a surge of hospitalizations and other severe outcomes is much less likely, thanks to vaccines,” said Hinshaw.
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Hinshaw said public health officials are shifting their focus to identifying and managing outbreaks in high-risk locations like acute hospital care or high-risk workplaces.
For now, isolation for anyone with COVID-19 symptoms and for confirmed positive cases will still be required, but as the province’s health system shifts its response, more restrictions will be lifted.
Beginning Aug. 16, Albertans will no longer be legally required to quarantine if they test positive, and provincial masking orders on transit, in taxis or ride sharing will expire, although masks may still be required in specific settings like vaccination sites, hospitals and continuing care facilities.
Despite the spike in case numbers, hospitalizations are not rising in step, with 84 people currently being treated in hospital — up two from the previous day’s update — including 18 in intensive care units.
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On June 29, the day of Hinshaw’s last appearance, Alberta reported 61 new cases of COVID-19. Since then the province has lifted nearly all COVID-19 restrictions.
Cases have sharply increased in the province since last Friday, with 134 new cases reported on Tuesday.
However, Hinshaw said vaccines have drastically reduced the risk of contracting the virus and getting severely ill.
“The need for the types of extraordinary restrictions we used in the past has diminished,” said Hinshaw.
While more than 5.2 million doses of vaccine have been administered in Alberta, with 75.6 per cent of those eligible having received a first dose and 64.3 per cent fully immunized with two, the province’s per-capita immunization rates are the second-worse among provinces.
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Hinshaw said the province still needs to increase those numbers, but since July 1, those not fully immunized accounted for 95 per cent of cases, 94 per cent of hospitalizations, and 95 per cent of all COVID-19 deaths in the province.
Hinshaw said COVID-19 is primarily infecting those who do not have their vaccine, adding that “COVID is not over,” and it can still have life-threatening consequences.
Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson responded in a statement Wednesday that the city will discuss its COVID-19 response at its next emergency advisory committee meeting Aug. 12.
“I’m surprised the provincial government has decided to lift public health measures at a time when we’re seeing a rise in cases, more variants, and other jurisdictions around the world are experiencing the devastating effects of this pandemic,” he said, adding he’s pleased to see so many residents choosing to wear masks in public spaces to protect those who are not yet vaccinated.
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While Alberta prepares to remove masking requirements, neighbouring British Columbia reintroduced an indoor masking requirement in public spaces in one region of the province that’s seen an uptick in cases.
As families prepare to send children back to school in the fall, Hinshaw said the province is not planning to require universal masking in schools, but will be recommending it.
Alberta NDP Opposition deputy leader Sarah Hoffman said she’s concerned about the removal of some testing, contact tracing and notifications.
“Really, what we should be doing is giving students, the staff who are working with them, and the families who care about them as much information, as much the confidence as possible that the government is actually acting to make things safer for them and not just hoping for the best,” said Hoffman, who again called on the government to plan voluntary vaccination clinics in schools.
lijohnson@postmedia.com
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