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Alberta’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw will provide the latest COVID-19 numbers from over the weekend at 4 p.m. Monday.
The update comes two days after Premier Jason Kenney and Health Minister Tyler Shandro announced the latest news on the province’s second stage of the vaccine rollout. At an announcement Friday, Kenney said Albertans who were born in 1946 or earlier will be eligible to book an appointment either online or over the phone. The phone number and web address are scheduled to be announced this week.
Kenney also said that starting Friday, Alberta Health Services will offer the vaccine directly to all residents in retirement centres, lodges, supportive living, and other congregate living facilities with residents who are 75 or older.
Phase 2 of the vaccine rollout will begin in April with four designated groups as long as supplies allow for it, said Kenney and Shandro.
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Group A includes Albertans aged 65 to 74 and First Nations and Métis people aged 50 to 64, on and off reserve or Metis settlements, as well as staff of licensed supportive living facilities not included in the first phase.
That will be followed by Group B, made up of Albertans aged 18 to 64 with high-risk underlying conditions. Kenney said details on what those conditions are will be released prior to the second phase starting.
Group C includes residents and staff of congregate-living settings such as correctional facilities, homeless shelters, and group homes. Health-care workers who could spread the virus to high-risk individuals and caregivers of Albertans who are most at risk are also included.
Group D is Albertans aged 50 to 64, no matter where they live, and First Nations and Métis people aged 35 to 49 on and off reserve or Metis settlements.
The government estimates Phase 2 of the rollout will cover nearly 1.8 million Albertans.
There were 4,758 active cases of COVID-19 as of Sunday, including 1,115 in the Edmonton Zone. There were 321 Albertans in hospital with COVID-19, including 53 in intensive care.
More to come…
With files from Ashley Joannou