COVID-19 live updates: Alberta reporting 663 new cases, 1094 in hospital, 252 in ICU and 26 more deaths, contact tracing resumes in schools, third dose eligibility expands

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COVID-19 news happens rapidly, we have created this file to keep you up-to-date on all the latest stories and information on the outbreak in and around Edmonton.

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What’s happening now

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Share your COVID-19 stories

As Alberta grapples with a fourth wave of COVID-19 at the start of another school year, we’re looking to hear your stories on this evolving situation.

Tuesday

663 new cases of COVID-19, 19,456 infections across the province, 1094 patients in hospital including 252 in ICU and 26 more deaths

Ashley Joannou

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Alberta reported 663 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, and 26 additional deaths. While that is a significant drop from the numbers seen over the weekend, Hinshaw warned that a single day’s numbers were not as important as overall trends.

“As we all know, cases have been rising for the past several months. While this has impacted all ages, we have seen the highest age-specific rates recently in school aged Albertans,” Hinshaw said.

“While the majority of all of our cases are still in unvaccinated adults, currently those between the ages of five and 19 make up about a quarter of our active cases.”

As of Tuesday 1,094 Albertans were being treated for COVID-19 in hospitals, including 252 in the ICU.

The government has been facing increased pressure including from school boards and the Official Opposition to reinstate contact tracing in schools as the province has dealt with soaring COVID-19 numbers during the fourth wave of the pandemic.

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Tuesday

Third doses of COVID-19 vaccine available for some Alberta seniors, outdoor gatherings limited to 20

Stephanie Babych, Calgary

Starting Wednesday, Albertans aged 75 and older and First Nations, Inuit and Métis people aged 65 and older will be able to book an appointment for their third dose of vaccine, as long as it’s been at least six months since their second.

“Older Albertans remain uniquely at risk and will benefit from more protection. They’re still incredibly vulnerable to end up hospitalized or even passing away from COVID-19,” Premier Jason Kenney said during a news conference Tuesday.

The booster shots will be offered at pharmacies and physician clinics across the province, as well as through Alberta Health Services’ online booking tool and 811.

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Ahead of the Thanksgiving weekend, Kenney also cautioned Albertans to follow public health measures closely to prevent widespread transmission.

He also announced that outdoor social gatherings are now limited to 20 people, down from 200.

As well, indoor gatherings are banned for those who are unvaccinated and are limited to a maximum of 10 people from two households for those who are vaccinated.

“Indoor gatherings last Thanksgiving sparked the second wave of COVID with cases and hospitalizations surging after millions of Albertans celebrated in close contact with loved ones,” said Kenney.

Tuesday

Contact tracing, public reporting of COVID cases returning to schools

Ashley Joannou

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Contact tracing and public reporting of COVID-19 cases is returning to Alberta schools.

Beginning Oct. 12, school authorities will start notifying parents in schools where their children have been in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 and was infectious while in school, Premier Jason Kenney, Health Minister Jason Copping and Education Minister Adriana LaGrange announced Tuesday.

“By protecting our young people, we’ll help to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our schools and further into our communities,” Kenney said.

The contact tracing, which was mostly ended in Alberta in July, will be taken over by Alberta Health Services in mid-November after the health authority spends the next four to six weeks bring in additional staff.

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Under a new health order, if any class has three or more confirmed COVID-19 cases infectious in a classroom over the span of five days, the entire class will be required to move to online learning for 10 days, Hinshaw said.

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Letter of the day

Much has been written about unvaccinated patients clogging up the ICUs in Alberta causing a ripple effect through the health-care system. People have seen their surgeries (both serious and elective) cancelled and the wait lists for CT scans and MRIs continue to push out further and further.

I now read that Edmonton Oiler Josh Archibald has been diagnosed with myocarditis thought to have been caused by a COVID-19 infection he caught during the summer. What really caught my eye was the Oilers coach saying Josh will get a “CT scan and MRI this week.” How can an unvaccinated person can get an MRI and CT scan right away while those on waiting lists continue to wait? I guess the two-tier system is a fact of life now in Alberta but I for one am not happy about it.

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Tuesday

Alberta MLAs need to be vaccinated before legislature resumes sitting, or get tested

Hamdi Issawi

Alberta MLAs must be fully vaccinated before the legislature resumes sitting on Oct. 25, or provide negative rapid COVID-19 test results every 72 hours, Alberta government house leader Jason Nixon said Tuesday.

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There are 56 fully vaccinated MLAs, Nixon added, while three more are due to get their second shot before Oct. 25, and one seeking medical advice.

“At this stage, with the exception of the one individual who’s working through medical circumstance, I anticipate our entire caucus will be vaccinated by the time the chamber returns,” he explained.

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Tuesday

Edmonton Public Schools calls for firebreak COVID-19 measures, including closure of all schools

Anna Junker

Edmonton Public Schools is calling on the province to implement firebreak COVID-19 public health measures that would see the closure of all schools in the province.

The recommendation, brought forward Tuesday, asks for all schools to move to online classes for a minimum of two weeks.

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“I feel like we’re letting families and kids down. I’ve spoken to families and parents, we’re lifelines, schools are literally lifelines for these families,” she said.

“Families continue to suffer because of a lack of information and clarity, and I just keep saying it didn’t have to be this way. Kids are suffering when they have their pediatric cancer surgeries canceled, for crying out loud. If that’s not an indicator of a crisis in our province, I don’t know what else is.”

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Tuesday

Alberta’s health minister takes to Twitter to warn against the use of livestock dewormer in treatment of COVID-19

Alberta’s health minister, Jason Copping took to Twitter to reminds Albertans that, the livestock-deworming drug, Ivermectin has not been approved for use in humans to treat COVID-19.

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In a Monday evening tweet, Copping said he advised against the use of Ivermectin in the treatment of COVID-19 because the drug is used to deworm livestock and is used to treat some parasites in humans. COVID-19 is a virus which would mean the drug would not be effective and could be potentially harmful.

“Some non-scientific reports have recently asserted that Ivermectin may be useful in treating COVID-19, but the drug has not been approved for use for this purpose in AB,” said the Tweet. “The U.S. FDA says misuse of Ivermectin in humans can lead to nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hypotension (low blood pressure), allergic reactions (itching and hives), dizziness, ataxia (problems with balance), seizures, coma & even death.”

He links to a recent AHS COVID-19 Scientific Advisory report which says “Overall, the evidence for this topic is of very low to low quality. As w/ other clinical topics on COVID-19, the research on Ivermectin is opportunistic & hastily done, with limited planning to minimize sources of bias.”

“Your best defence against serious COVID-19 symptoms is vaccination,” says Copping. He also provided information on where to go to get vaccinated.

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