COVID-19 live updates: Sixty-one AHS employees have quit over vaccine mandate; Alberta surpasses 3,000 deaths, 786 new cases

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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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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.

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Wednesday

Sixty-one Alberta Health Services employees have quit over COVID-19 vaccine mandate; majority have shown proof of full vaccination

Lisa Johnson

Sixty-one Alberta Health Services employees have quit over a requirement to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination ahead of a deadline to declare.

Dr. Verna Yiu, president and CEO of AHS, announced the number of resignations at Tuesday’s COVID-19 update, saying 11 registered nurses and 31 in clinical roles were among those who have given notice over the mandate first announced in August .

Yiu said the vast majority of Alberta Health Services employees — 92 per cent of full-time and part-time employees — have submitted proof of two COVID-19 vaccine doses. Approximately 92 per cent of physicians and more than 97 per cent of intensive care unit staff are fully immunized.

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“So overall this tells us that there’s very broad support for the mandatory vaccine policy. These are impressive numbers, and we’re extremely grateful to all of those who have submitted their proof of vaccination. We stand by the policy, and it will be fully implemented,” Yiu said, adding it’s essential to ensure the safety of workers, patients and vulnerable Albertans.

However, thousands of employees — seven per cent of staff — have yet to submit their proof of vaccination.

AHS employees have until Oct. 31 to submit proof of full immunization, and those who do not or refuse to declare their status will be placed on unpaid leave. Employees would have had to be fully immunized by Oct. 16 in order to be considered fully protected by the vaccines at the deadline.

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Wednesday

Alberta surpasses 3,000 deaths, reports 786 new cases Wednesday

Kellen Taniguchi

Alberta has surpassed 3,000 COVID-19 deaths.

On Wednesday, the province reported 18 new fatalities for a total of 3,006 since the start of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, active cases of COVID-19 across the province continue to drop.

As of Wednesday, there were 10,824 active cases in Alberta, a decrease of 578 cases from the previous day. The Calgary Zone led the way with 2,773 active cases, followed by 2,603 cases in the Edmonton Zone.

The province reported 786 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday with a test positivity rate of 6.5 per cent.

As case numbers and hospitalizations continue to drop, Premier Jason Kenney said on Tuesday that there are still more hospitalizations now than there had been at the peak of any other wave.

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There are now 928 Albertans in hospital due to COVID-19, 36 fewer patients than the previous day. There are also 15 fewer intensive care patients with 203 people in ICU as of Wednesday.

More vaccines have been injected into the arms of Albertans with 86.2 per cent of those aged 12 and up receiving at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine — 77.9 per cent of eligible Albertans are fully vaccinated.

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Wednesday

World’s longest documented COVID-19 infection carried by a cancer survivor

Lynn Chaya, National Post

Earlier this month, medical research distributors medRXiv published a surprising new study — a 47-year old cancer survivor was found to have carried COVID-19 for nearly a year in the longest documented case of the novel coronavirus

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The study states that prior to contracting the virus, the female patient, who remained anonymous according to the case study, had been immunocompromised after receiving aggressive, but successful treatment for lymphoma three years earlier. The treatment left her with few B cells, a type of immune cell that produces antibodies and helps the immune system function normally.

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Wednesday

Only fully vaccinated people to be allowed in Parliament Hill buildings – a potential problem for Conservatives

The Canadian Press

When Parliament resumes on Nov. 22, no one will be allowed into the House of Commons precinct unless they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

That could present a problem for Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole, who has refused to say how many of his 118 MPs are fully vaccinated.

O’Toole has personally supported vaccinations but has opposed making them mandatory, arguing that individuals’ personal health decisions should be respected.

All other parties support mandatory vaccination and say all of their MPs have had two shots of a Health Canada-approved vaccine.

Speaker Anthony Rota announced late Tuesday that the all-party board of internal economy has decided that only fully vaccinated individuals will be allowed to enter the House of Commons precinct.

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That includes members of Parliament, their staff, political research office employees, administration employees, journalists, parliamentary business visitors, contractors and consultants.

The precinct includes all the buildings on Parliament Hill that house the Commons chamber, as well as MPs’ offices and Commons committee rooms.

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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.

Of the roughly 16% of patients hospitalized with severe enough COVID-19 to require life support, none were vaccinated.

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