Alberta’s chief medical officer of health spoke about stigma and compassion in her daily COVID-19 update on Thursday.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw said certain ethnic groups are being stigmatized and health care workers are being singled out as being higher risk of COVID-19 transmission.
“This has been a tough year and I know many people have fear, anxiety and frustration,” she said.
However, “despite everyone’s best efforts, every one of us is at risk of being exposed.”
Hinshaw said outbreaks are identified because people care and want to stop any further spread. She said people who test positive should not be stigmatized. It will discourage others from also being tested and cooperating with public health officials.
Instead, Hinshaw asked Albertans to “treat them with the kindness you’d want to be treated with.”
Daily COVID-19 numbers
On Thursday, Alberta Health reported 1,566 new cases of COVID-19. About 16,800 tests were completed in the last 24 hours. Alberta’s positivity rate is 9.5 per cent.
There are currently 20,163 active cases in the province.
There are 682 Albertans in hospital with COVID-19, 124 of whom are in intensive care.
“Our health care system is in trouble and we need to work together to safe it,” Hinshaw stressed.
She said the fact that Albertans won’t be able to gather together over the holidays is testament to that.
Alberta’s top doctor believes the new rules announced Tuesday “will have an impact on our spread,” as long as everyone follows them.
“Ultimately, it’s in the hands of Albertans.”
Thirteen deaths were reported to Alberta Health in the last 24 hours, bringing the province’s death toll to 666.
Of the deaths, five were reported in the Calgary zone. Two deaths were linked to the outbreak at The Hamlets at Cedarwood Station: a man in his 80s and a woman in her 90s. A woman in her 90s linked to the outbreak at Generations Calgary died. A man in his 80s linked to the outbreak at Carewest Colonel Belcher also died, as well as a man in his 70s who was not linked to continuing care.
Six deaths were reported in the Edmonton zone, including two linked to the outbreak at the Royal Alexandra Hospital: a man in his 80s and a man in his 90s. A man in his 60s who was linked to the outbreak at Capital Care Lynnwood died. A woman in her 90s linked to the outbreak at Edmonton General Care Centre died. Two people not linked to continuing care also passed away: a man in his 80s and a woman in her 80s.
There was one death reported in the North zone: a man in his 60s linked to the outbreak at Elders Caring Shelter Society.
A man in his 60s from the South zone who was not linked to continuing care also passed away.
The holidays in 2020
“I know the new restrictions on all indoor and outdoor social gatherings have disappointed many Albertans,” Hinshaw said Thursday.
In a year during which we’ve sacrificed so much already, “it seems unfair.”
But, she explained since “social gatherings are a leading cause of transmission… this is our only option.”
Alberta’s top doctor asked people to share creative ways they’re celebrating safely this year on social media using the hashtag #AlbertaCares to give others ideas.
“We are all in this together and we will get through it together.”
NDP releases Edmonton, Calgary hospitalization projections
The NDP said Thursday that Alberta Health Services’ projections it obtained show hospitalizations in Alberta’s two largest cities will increase by upwards of 50 per cent by Christmas Eve, while at the same time calling on the UCP to be more transparent with the data available.
The projections show as many as 324 Calgarians could be in hospital by Christmas, with 58 being treated in ICUs, according to the NDP, which represents a roughly 60 per cent increase.
In Edmonton, hospitalizations could rise by 50 per cent, the NDP said, with the possibility that 564 people could be spending Christmas in hospital, with as many as 111 in ICU.
Opposition Leader Rachel Notley called the UCP’s response a “cloak and dagger” approach by not being as open as possible with all the information at hand, adding that it allows people to understand the decisions being made.
“When stalling the rate of growth of this virus, and the very nature of the crisis, comes down to the individual actions of all Albertans… public trust is even more important than ever,” she said.
“And so, using the notion that you will hide information — rather than disclose information — as the rule of thumb, undermines the ability of all Albertans to do what they need to do to keep their neighbours safe.”
Notley also called for Premier Jason Kenney to release the province’s R value, which is the rate of COVID-19 reproduction — or spread — in the community.
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In an emailed statement, AHS said the data the NDP was referring to was from the health authority’s “early warning system,” a tool used to prepare for changes in demand based on predictions of hospitalizations and ICU admissions.
“It provides a point in time forecast, and is updated constantly throughout the day,” AHS said. “AHS is already increasing capacity to meet this forecast, and the potential for higher demand due to COVID-19.”
AHS provided low, medium and high projections for each zone. By Dec. 24, Calgary could see between 145 (low), 222 (medium) and 345 (high) hospitalizations and between 26 (low), 40 (medium) and 58 (high) ICU admissions. Edmonton could see between 253 (low), 385 (medium) and 564 (high) hospitalizations and between 50 (low), 76 (medium) and 111 (high) ICU admissions, according to the forecasting.
As of Thursday, Edmonton had 371 people in hospital (72 in ICU) and Calgary had 201 people in hospital (40 in ICU).
AHS said in addition to more than 70 ICU beds that have already been freed up between Calgary and Edmonton in recent weeks, more beds are being secured in both zones, and plans are underway to secure more critical care capacity in the North, South and Central zones.
Many new province-wide public health measures take effect this weekend.
They include closing restaurants, bars, entertainment venues, gyms, and personal services like hair and nail salons.
Retail businesses and religious services will be restricted to 15 per cent capacity.
Social gatherings of any kind — indoors or outdoors — are banned.
An Alberta-wide mask mandate in all indoor public spaces took effect immediately on Tuesday.
Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine was officially approved for use in Canada on Wednesday morning.
Alberta will begin to administer its first doses next Wednesday, Dec. 16.
Health Minister Tyler Shandro announced the roll-out plan will begin with 3,900 doses of the vaccine for 3,900 health-care workers, including ICU doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and long-term care workers throughout the province.
The first set of acute care staff to receive the vaccine will come from Calgary’s Foothills Medical Centre and Peter Lougheed Centre, as well as Edmonton’s University of Alberta Hospital and Royal Alexandra Hospital.
Shandro said AHS has the facilities and equipment in place to meet the ultra-cold storage requirements for the vaccine, which requires two doses about one month apart for it to be effective.
— With files from Caley Ramsay and Heide Pearson
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