Alberta is lifting nearly all of its COVID-19 restrictions at midnight on Tuesday.
Many Albertans are eager to have normalcy back in their lives, but for some, it’s not yet possible.
Simone Chalifoux has an immunocompromised daughter. She said though the province is about to be nearly wide-open in terms of restrictions, her family feels more closed off.
“Eliminating all of those mandates is actually more isolating for us, because that means we’ll go out less,” she explained.
READ MORE: Alberta to end most remaining COVID-19 restrictions on March 1
Chalifoux said her family will be avoiding even simple trips like to the grocery store because they want to ensure their daughter Joanne Picard is protected at home.
“At this point, you don’t get a day without talking to someone who knows someone with COVID-19,” she said. “Each level of reduction in restriction makes it more risky for our daughter.”
Dr. Dan Gregson is an associate professor at the University of Calgary who has expertise in internal medicine, infectious diseases and microbiology.
He said it is no surprise that immunocompromised people and their families are being more cautious.
“You’re worried you’re not getting the benefit of the other person masking. You’re worried about transmission,” Gregson said.
“You’re sort of stuck walking into a grocery store (and) putting your mask on but someone else isn’t. That’s not as effective.”
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READ MORE: City of Edmonton wants resident input on mandatory mask bylaw
Tim Monds, a lung cancer advocate, told Global News he has been advised to keep wearing a high-quality mask to protect himself.
“It’s not that I expect people to keep doing (exactly what I’m doing), but ask for the recognition that some of us do have to keep doing this and there’s a very good reason for it.”
Monds noted that health measures are not meant to last forever. He said though his daily life won’t change Tuesday, he will remain vigilant in his activities.
“From my perspective, I need the numbers lower than they are right now,” he said.
Jason Tetro studies emerging pathogens. He said most people with immuno-concerns are in the same situation they have been in for months when it comes to COVID-19.
“Anybody who doesn’t have a good immune response is still at the same risk as they were in March 2020,” Tetro said. “So we are now in a situation where we need to look at who is the most at-risk and how we can help protect them from this virus.
“The reason the mask is so important is because this is a respiratory disease. It goes into your mouth or nose and into your lungs. How do you stop that? Barrier protection.”
Tetro said it’s important to be mindful of other people’s risk tolerances and medical realities.
“I think protecting yourself is going to be the mantra for the next little while,” he said. “However, I hope the rest of us who are not immunocompromised will do our part.
“If you happen to be immunocompromised, that shouldn’t be a jail sentence.”
Latest COVID-19 numbers in Alberta
The number of hospital patients with COVID-19 in Alberta dropped to 1,224 on Monday, down from 1,295 on Friday. Of those patients, 83 were being treated in intensive care units on Monday afternoon compared to 88 on Friday.
Alberta Health said Monday the total number of COVID-19 deaths in the province has risen to 3,912, which is 14 more fatalities than was reported on Friday.
Over the weekend, 1,435 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 (594 on Feb. 25, 458 on Feb. 26 and 383 on Feb. 27) were identified, according to Alberta Health.
The total number of active cases in the province dropped by nearly 1,000 since Friday. As of Monday afternoon, there were 9,188 confirmed active coronavirus cases in Alberta.
Public health officials have advised that because of limitations on who is eligible for PCR tests, the true number of both new and active COVID-19 cases in Alberta is likely far higher than what is being reported.
The province’s positivity rate is at 20.82 per cent, according to the provincial government’s website.
–With files from Phil Heidenreich, Global News
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