Watch this page throughout the day for updates on COVID-19 in Edmonton
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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
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.
- Have you or a loved one had a surgery rescheduled or cancelled in recent weeks?
- Are you someone who has decided to get vaccinated after previously being skeptical of the vaccines?
- Have you changed your mind about sending your children back to school in person?
- Have you enrolled your children in a private school due to COVID-19?
- Are you a frontline health-care worker seeing new strains on the health system?
Send us your stories via email at edm-feedback@postmedia.com
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Tuesday
New public health orders for continuing care facilities, 531 new cases reported Tuesday
Kellen Taniguchi
All visitors at continuing care facilities in Alberta will be required to wear masks in indoor areas as the province continues to battle its fourth wave of COVID-19.
As of Monday, masking will be mandatory for visitors — regardless of vaccination status — in all indoor spaces including residents’ rooms.
Residents won’t need to wear masks indoors but will have to quarantine upon admission to a continuing care facility or when returning from a hospital stay of more than 24 hours until they test negative for COVID-19.
Premier Jason Kenney announced the changes at a Tuesday news conference, saying they are precautionary steps the province has decided to take even as case numbers and hospitalizations decrease.
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“Thanks to vaccines, outbreaks and deaths at continuing care facilities are far below levels seen during the earlier waves,” said Kenney.
“But even with this added protection, these residents at continuing care facilities, for example, remain most at risk. That is why effective Oct. 25, new rules to protect residents and staff at continuing care facilities across the province will come into force.”
Alberta reported 531 new cases of COVID-19 with a test positivity rate of 6.7 per cent.
There were an additional 12 COVID-related deaths reported on Tuesday.
Active cases continued to drop in the province with 11,402 current active cases, a drop of 900 cases from the previous day.
More Albertans continue to get vaccinated with 86.1 per cent of those aged 12 and up receiving at least one dose of a vaccine and 77.6 per cent of those being fully immunized.
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Tuesday
Calgary public schools list 15 schools in outbreak, but none are included in Alberta Health data
Eva Ferguson, Calgary
Confusion and conflicting information around COVID cases in schools continue to frustrate parents who say they are being left in the dark.
According to the recently relaunched school status site posted by Alberta Health Services, cases of COVID in schools appear to have come down dramatically in the past week.
When data was first made public last week, up to 497 Alberta schools were on alert with two to four cases. This week, that number is down to 291.
Also last week, 268 schools were listed on higher alert, with five to nine cases of COVID, as compared to only 46 schools this week.
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And while 47 schools were listed as having outbreaks last week, with 10 or more cases of COVID reported within 14 days, this week there are only three, none of which are in Calgary.
At the same time, the Calgary Board of Education lists 15 schools on outbreak notification. As well, just this week, 39 CBE schools reported positive notifications of COVID.
The Calgary Catholic School District is not posting information about COVID cases.
“This has been a consistent problem from the government since Day 1, ensuring information about cases is published, up to date and standards are consistent,” said Medeana Moussa, spokeswoman for Support Our Students, which has tracked cases in schools on its website .
“There’s just no transparency with this information, which is why we are trying to track information and put it together.
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“And we have to because the government is not doing it. They are not providing us with clear and transparent information, even though they have the resources,” Moussa added.
“So we know that it is deliberate.”
Tuesday
Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine highly protective in 12-18 age group says U.S. CDC study
Reuters
The Pfizer Inc/BioNTech SE COVID-19 vaccine was 93% effective in preventing hospitalizations among those aged 12 to 18, according to an analysis released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday.
The study was conducted between June and September, when the extremely contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus was predominant.
Yet, the data from 19 pediatric hospitals showed that among the 179 patients who were hospitalized for COVID-19, 97% were unvaccinated, providing reassurance of the vaccine’s efficacy.
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Of the roughly 16% of patients hospitalized with severe enough COVID-19 to require life support, none were vaccinated.
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https://edmontonjournal.com/newsletters/
Letter of the day
Voters rejected middle-of-the-road options
The middle-of-the-road pragmatism of the Alberta PCs, which built this province into what it is today, is absent. Progressive conservative mayoral candidates in Edmonton, Kim Krushell and Michael Oshry, garnered a modest 17 and six per cent of the vote, respectively.
By electing Sohi, Edmonton voters chose years of further property tax increases, massive and unaffordable investments into an increasingly under-utilized and unsafe transit system, and inaction on the rampant crime and disorder that is destroying our downtown. In doing so, voters may have sent Kenney a message, but it was the wrong one. Instead of signalling a willingness to vote for progressive conservative candidates who promise pragmatic action on the biggest challenges facing the city, Edmonton opted to demonstrate that it is becoming a lost cause for any form of conservatism.
Even if the UCP shifts toward the pragmatic and moderate conservatism of the Alberta PCs, Edmonton will likely continue to choose higher taxes and bigger government. Why even bother?
T.G. Sangster, Edmonton
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Letters Welcome
We invite you to write letters to the editor. A maximum of 150 words is preferred. Letters must carry a first and last name, or two initials and a last name, and include an address and daytime telephone number. All letters are subject to editing. We don’t publish letters addressed to others or sent to other publications. Email: letters@edmontonjournal.com
Monday
NHL suspends Sharks’ Evander Kane for 21 games for COVID-19 violations
Reuters
The National Hockey League (NHL) on Monday suspended the San Jose Sharks’ Evander Kane for 21 regular-season games without pay for violating its COVID-19 protocols.
The Canadian forward will be ineligible to play before Nov. 30, effectively keeping him off the ice for more than a quarter of the regular season.
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Kane apologized to his teammates and fans in a written statement released on his behalf by the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA).
“I made a mistake, one I sincerely regret and take responsibility for,” said Kane. “During my suspension, I will continue to participate in counselling to help me make better decisions in the future.
“When my suspension is over, I plan to return to the ice with great effort, determination, and love for the game of hockey.”
Monday
Pfizer officially requests Health Canada approval for kids’ COVID-19 shot
The Canadian Press
Pfizer has asked Health Canada to approve the first COVID-19 vaccine for children aged five to 11 years old.
As soon as the regulator gives the green light, providers will be able to start offering the COVID-19 shot to kids, though new child-sized doses might need to be procured.
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The doses are about one-third the size given to adults and teens age 12 and up.
The vaccine was developed in partnership with Germany’s BioNTech and is now marketed under the brand name Comirnaty. It was authorized for people at least 16 years old last December, and for kids between 12 and 15 in May.
Pfizer already submitted clinical trial data for its child-sized dose to Health Canada at the beginning of the month, and made a formal request for approval to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last week.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has also been tested on children as young as six months old. Topline data for children under five years old is expected as soon as the end of the year.
Monday
Former U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell dies of COVID-19 complications
Reuters
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Colin Powell, the first Black U.S. secretary of state and top military officer, died Monday at the age of 84 due to complications from COVID-19.
He was fully vaccinated, his family said in a statement on Facebook. “We have lost a remarkable and loving husband, father, grandfather and great American,” his family said, offering thanks to the staff of the hospital near Washington, D.C. who treated Powell but providing few details about his illness.
Powell was one of America’s most prominent Black figures for decades. He served three Republican presidents in senior posts and reached the top of the U.S.. military as it was regaining its vigor after the trauma of the Vietnam War.
In a brief statement, the Powell family said he had died on Monday morning from COVID-19, had been fully vaccinated against the disease, and it thanked the medical staff at Walter Reed National Medical Center near Washington. It did not address such matters as what vaccine he received or whether he had gotten a booster shot, when he fell ill, when he may have been hospitalized and whether he may have had underlying health conditions that contributed to his illness.
