Alberta taking ‘risky gamble’ by ending COVID isolation: Canadian Paediatric Society

The Canadian Paediatric Society has written an open letter to Alberta’s top doctor urging her to reconsider lifting isolation and testing requirements to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Close contacts of people who test positive for COVID-19 are no longer legally required to isolate, nor are they notified by contact tracers.

Infected individuals also won’t need to isolate come Aug. 16.

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With Alberta’s case levels rising and lagging vaccination rates, the national organization says lifting public health measures prematurely is an “unnecessary and risky gamble.”

The society says the plan announced by Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, could jeopardize the province’s recovery and enhance viral spread.

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The group says children under 12 are particularly vulnerable as they aren’t eligible for vaccinations.