More than four million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Alberta, the provincial government announced Friday afternoon.
As of Thursday, the province said 4,022,084 doses had been administered.
“This tremendous achievement is made possible thanks to millions of people working together to ensure that COVID-19 no longer controls the lives of Albertans,” Premier Jason Kenney said in a news release.
“Thank you to every single Albertan who has made the right decision and got their vaccine shot.”
Also as of Thursday, 71.3 per cent of eligible Albertans had received at least one dose of vaccine and 34.3 per cent are fully immunized with two doses.
“Less than one year ago, these vaccines seemed so far away,” Health Minister Tyler Shandro said. “Now, the vast majority of eligible Albertans are well on their way to being fully vaccinated. Four million doses is an amazing accomplishment and we won’t stop here.”
All Albertans 12 and older are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Appointments can be made through Alberta Health Services or participating pharmacies.
Alberta’s chief medical officer of health urged Albertans who haven’t received the COVID-19 vaccine yet to do so as soon as possible.
“Every dose administered provides more protection for you and the people around you,” Dr. Deena Hinshaw said.
“Vaccines are our best defence against COVID-19, and we need as many people as possible to get fully immunized as soon as possible.
“Get vaccinated and continue to protect each other by making safe choices to protect your health.”
In order to lift the majority of COVID-19 restrictions in the province, 70 per cent of eligible Albertans had to have at least one dose. The province reached that threshold on June 17, with 70.3 per cent of eligible Albertans receiving their first dose.
In a tweet, Hinshaw said Friday’s COVID-19 numbers would be delayed due to a technical error. However, she provided some daily estimates.
Alberta Health had identified about 100 new cases in the last 24 hours out of approximately 6,100 tests, she said.
That put Alberta’s positivity rate at about 1.7 per cent.
There were about 1,500 active cases on Friday, Hinshaw said.
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