Dr. Deena Hinshaw to provide update on COVID-19 in Alberta

Albertans who test positive for COVID-19 will no longer be required to enter isolation starting in less than three weeks, the province’s chief medical officer of health said Wednesday.

The change is among a raft of public health amendments that are designed to help the health-care system respond to other emerging medical issues such as seasonal influenza, said Dr. Deena Hinshaw during a news conference. 

While a recent rise in COVID-19 cases has caused some anxiety, increasing vaccination rates are limiting the threat of severe outcomes and strains on the health-care system, she said. 

As a result, the province will start transitioning COVID-19 protocols to be similar to those of the flu and other communicable diseases.

“When we first heard of COVID-19, we knew little of the virus and we had no treatments and no vaccines … Today, we are in a very different place,” said Hinshaw.

“Vaccines are able to drastically reduce the risk of not only contracting the virus, but more importantly, getting severely ill. From a public health standpoint, this has changed how we need to look at the virus.”

Alberta’s health-care system has to start preparing for other health challenges, such as the seasonal flu, said Hinshaw, citing that there were zero cases identified last fall but officials expect that to change.

Changes to certain COVID-19 rules and protocols will take place in two phases, and they will be implemented over a period of a few weeks. 

Starting Thursday, anyone with COVID-19 symptoms or who received a positive test result must isolate. The quarantine period for their close contacts, however, will shift from mandatory to recommended, a government release says.

That all changes on August 16 in Phase 2 when isolation following a positive test will no longer be required. It is still strongly recommended, Hinshaw said. 

Quarantine could be required in some “high-risk settings or for outbreak management,” Hinshaw noted.

Anyone who isn’t fully immunized should avoid public places for two weeks, she added.

Anyone who tests positive will be notified, but contact tracers will no longer notify close contacts of exposure. That responsibility will fall to those who test positive for the illness.

Noting that “we will be needing to live with this virus for years to come,” Dr. Deena Hinshaw says it’s time for the health system focus on the wide range of respiratory infections that affect Albertans. 1:41

Contact tracers will keep investigating cases at high-risk settings, such as acute and continuing care facilities.

Outbreak management will also focus on high-risk settings, including “high-risk workplaces.” Community outbreaks with a surge of severe outcomes will “be addressed as needed,” the release says.

Asymptomatic testing will no longer be recommended, but testing will remain available to people showing symptoms.

“This will help reduce wait times and ensure timely results in the coming months,” said Hinshaw.

Mask mandates remain in effect when inside acute and continuing care facilities, or when riding in public transit, taxis or ride-share vehicles.

Officials will monitor the impact these changes have and adapt them as needed over the next two weeks, Hinshaw said.

Universal masking will not be required in schools once students return, Hinshaw said, but masks can be used as a temporary outbreak intervention in response to respiratory outbreaks. 

COVID-19 testing, provincial monitoring, outbreak management in high-risk settings “and other key measures” will remain in place, the release says.

Isolation hotels and quarantine supports will no longer be available as of the start of Phase 2. COVID-19 testing will continue to be available for Albertans with symptoms “when it is needed to help direct patient care decisions,” the release says.

Phase 2 slated to begin in mid-August

Phase 2 of the province’s transition is slated for Aug. 16, at which time most COVID-19 protocols will be lifted.

Mask mandates will be lifted, though some may be required in acute or continuing care facilities.

The province says masks won’t be mandatory at schools, but could be recommended for temporary outbreak intervention. A document to guide back-to-school is being drafted and will be released mid-August.

Masks will not be mandatory to be worn in schools as of Aug. 16, the Alberta government announced Wednesday. (City of Vaughan)

Isolating after a positive COVID-19 test will no longer be required, but “strongly recommended,” the release says. People with symptoms of any respiratory infection should still stay home until symptoms are gone.

Isolation hotels and quarantine support will no longer be available.

Testing will be available to people with symptoms when it’s needed to direct patient care decisions.

It will be available through assessment centres until Aug. 31, then primary care facilities such as doctors offices after that. Anyone with severe illness that needs urgent or emergency care can be tested in acute care facilities and hospitals.

COVID-19 testing will be offered in high-risk outbreaks, such as in continuing care facilities and outbreak management and preventative measures will stay focused on outbreaks in high-risk settings, it says.

The government said public health will focus on investigating severe outcomes that require hospitalization, as well as any COVID-19 deaths.

A wastewater baseline testing program will be launched during Phase 2 to see the trends in various regions and monitor coronavirus variants of concerns.

“Testing wastewater has proven to be an accurate and valuable tool in providing early warning of a possible rise in cases,” Hinshaw said.

194 new COVID-19 cases reported Tuesday

Alberta public health officials are reporting 194 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday — most of which are people who have not received the COVID-19 vaccine, said Hinshaw.

Since Tuesday, two more people are being treated for COVID-19 in hospital, but three patients were removed from the intensive care unit. There are 84 hospitalizations, including 18 in ICU as of Wednesday.

There were about 7,100 tests conducted Tuesday and Alberta’s test-positivity rate is 2.9 per cent.

Of Albertans aged 12 and up, 75.6 per cent have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine; 64.3 per cent have received both doses, according to a news release issued by the Alberta government.