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Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the province’s chief medical officer of health, urged Albertans to continue getting vaccinated, practice basic hygiene, be mindful of their symptoms and make “safe choices” while speaking at her final regularly scheduled COVID-19 update.
But while COVID-19 is still a health crisis, Hinshaw said there is plenty cause for optimism. As of Tuesday, hospitalizations and the positivity rate are the lowest they’ve been since last summer and early fall. There are five active cases in all of Alberta’s continuing care facilities. Alberta’s active cases are poised to fall below 500 “in a few short weeks.”
For the first time since November, there are no outbreaks or alerts at any schools in Fort McMurray. The schools in the rural communities have never had an outbreak or alert reported. Every public and Catholic school in Fort McMurray has had a COVID-19 outbreak declared at least once since the pandemic began in March 2020.
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“COVID-19 is not going away completely. It remains a potentially serious illness that we must keep respecting. As we move into Stage 3, we will continue to offer testing to everyone with symptoms as we monitor the impact of changes,” said Hinshaw, noting this was her 245th press conference on COVID-19.
“The worst (of the pandemic) has ended. We’re still in a transition period and so I think the best thing we can do… is to support each other as we move through that space at our own pace.”
After July 1, life will return to normal for most people as the province-wide mask order and restrictions on gatherings end.
Masks will still be required at continuing care centres, hospitals, on public transit, in taxis and ride shares. People with COVID-19 must still quarantine. Alberta Health Services will continue investigating and contact tracing new COVID-19 cases and screening for variants.
“This pandemic has tested us and at times it has polarized us. It has challenged all of us in ways that we never could have expected,” said Hinshaw.
“It has also made clear one indisputable fact: we are stronger and safer together. We are a province of people who protect each other, who support each other and who rely on each other in a million different ways, big and small,” she said.
“Please keep supporting each other in the days ahead. That means getting vaccinated as soon as you can, helping to combat vaccine misinformation whenever you see it. It also means making safe choices as we enter Stage 3, not because there is an order directing it, but because it is the right thing to do.”
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An update on Fort McMurray Today’s COVID-19 coverage
Moving forward, Fort McMurray Today is no longer posting daily COVID-19 updates.
Instead, we will report significant benchmarks in the fight against COVID-19, such as vaccination milestones. We will also report any surges in new cases and updates on outbreaks, hospitalizations and deaths.
We will also continue covering the economic, labour, political, emotional and mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
vmcdermott@postmedia.com
COVID-19 numbers for Alberta, reported on June 29:
- All Albertans born in 2009 and before qualify for vaccines. It is illegal for employers to fire or discipline workers taking time off for a vaccine.
- 231,911 people have had COVID-19: 1,132 active cases, 2,299 deaths, 228,480 recoveries.
- 61 new cases in past 24 hours.
- Four new deaths.
- 170 people in hospital, including 36 people in ICUs.
- 3,453 people tested in past 24 hours.
- 4,266,408 vaccine doses administered: 72.7 per cent of eligible Albertans have at least one dose, 40.7 per cent of eligible Albertans fully immunized.
- Alberta’s earliest known COVID-19 case was detected in a blood sample collected on Feb. 24. The first case was announced on March 5.
COVID-19 in Fort McMurray:
- 36 active cases (five new cases). First case was reported in the city on March 19. Cases are based on residency and do not include the commuter workforce.
- 6,633 recoveries (one new recovery).
- 16 residents have died from COVID-19 in Fort McMurray. The most recent death was reported June 18. The region’s first death was reported Sept. 8, 2020.
- People with at least one vaccine dose:
75+: 76.8%, (514 people)
60-74: 76.7%, (4,945 people)
40-59: 71.8%, (16,556 people)
20-39: 55.3%, (15,763 people)
12-19: 62.5%, (4,198 people)
12+: 64.6%, (42,216 people)
All ages: 53.2%, (42,216 people) - People fully immunized:
75+: 68.4%, (458 people)
60-74: 54.4%, (3,508 people)
40-59: 36.9%, (8,497 people)
20-39: 20.8%, (5,918 people)
12-19: 18.5%, (1,242 people)
12+: 30.1%, (19,673 people)
All ages: 24.8%, (19,673 people)
COVID-19 in rural areas:
- No active cases. Cases are based on residency and do not include the commuter workforce.
- 325 recoveries.
- One resident has died from COVID-19 in the region’s rural areas. The most recent death was reported on June 20. Indigenous communities in the Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo area have reported some elders have died while living in other communities.
- People with at least one vaccine dose:
75+: 60.2%, (61 people)
60-74: 59.6%, (287 people)
40-59: 51.3%, (597 people)
20-39: 33.6%, (393 people)
12-19: 36.4%, (168 people)
12+: 45%, (1,518 people)
All ages: 37.4%, (1,518 people) - People fully vaccinated:
75+: 53.3%, (54 people)
60-74: 49.2%, (237 people)
40-59: 33%, (384 people)
20-39: 17.2%, (201 people)
12-19: 8.2%, (38 people)
12+: 27.1%, (916 people)
All ages: 22.5%, (916 people)
RMWB COVID-19 school outbreaks:
RMWB COVID-19 workplace outbreaks:
Hinshaw pushes vaccines and optimism at final scheduled COVID-19 update; 36 cases in Fort McMurray - Fort McMurray Today
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