As of July 22, 75 per cent of eligible Albertans 12 and older have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
The province said Thursday that 61.3 per cent are fully immunized with both doses.
“Seventy-five per cent of eligible Albertans vaccinated with at least one dose is a milestone to celebrate,” chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said.
“But a quarter of eligible Albertans still do not have vaccine protection. We need to vaccinate as many people as possible now to protect us all in the weeks and months ahead.”
As of Thursday, more than 2.8 million Albertans have had at least one shot through an Alberta Health Services clinic, pharmacy or physician clinic.
“Book your shot today and follow up with a second dose as soon as you are eligible to do so,” Health Minister Tyler Shandro said.
Studies have shown first doses provide strong protection against COVID-19 and its variants, but second doses are needed to get the best and most long-lasting protection against the virus. It can take two to three weeks after receiving the shot for it to build to peak effectiveness, the province added.
“Vaccines are crucial to keeping COVID-19 at bay in our province in the months to come,” Premier Jason Kenney said.
“I am tremendously proud to see Albertans continue to step up to get their first dose. The more people who get vaccinated, the more control we have over this virus and its effect on our lives moving forward.”
To book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment, click here.
On Thursday, Alberta Health said it identified 106 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours out of 6,622 tests.
The provincial positivity rate was 1.43 per cent.
There were 676 active cases across the province. The number of active cases has continued to rise slightly over the last several days: there were 649 on Wednesday, up from 606 on Tuesday.
However, COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admissions continue to slowly decline.
On Thursday, 93 Albertans were in hospital with COVID-19 (down from 95 on Wednesday), 26 of whom were being treated in ICU (down from 27 on Wednesday).
Alberta Health said Thursday two additional deaths related to COVID-19 had been reported.
To enter the Open for Summer Lottery, click here.
To enter the Outdoor Adventure Vaccine Lottery, click here.
Comments