Dr. Deena Hinshaw gives final update of the week on spread of COVID-19 in Alberta
Hinshaw #Hinshaw
The last week of January has been a frustrating one for Albertans who are growing impatient with COVID-19 and the ongoing health restrictions.
On Monday, Health Minister Tyler Shandro announced a variant of the COVID-19 virus known for its ease of transmission appears to have already entered the broader population, with one of the 20 known cases in the province found in an individual who had no link to international travel.
Health officials are worried the B117 variant, first identified in the United Kingdom, may lead to a new surge of COVID-19 cases.
On Thursday, the province learned it will be getting far fewer doses of vaccine than expected due to a national shortage. Canada’s main supplier of vaccine Pfizer is upgrading its Belgian plant to increase manufacturing capacity.
The shortage left the province unable to give a first dose to even one person this week.
To date, 101,123 Albertans have been vaccinated, with about 12,000 of them having received the required second dose.
On a positive note, the number of cases in the province continues its downward trend.
Alberta reported 8,041 active cases Thursday, with 591 people in hospital — 112 of them in intensive care. Seven new deaths brought the total to 1,606.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, will provide the final update of the week starting at 2:30 p.m. MT.
You can watch it here.