Alberta’s vaccination campaign for kids five to 11 is off to a flying start.
On Wednesday (Nov.24) afternoon, health minister Jason Copping announced that 42,860 appointments had been booked for pediatric doses of the Pfizer vaccine before 11:30 a.m., just three and a half hours after the booking system had opened.
The province is also updating the Restrictions Exemption Program (REP).
Starting Monday, ski hills can operate outdoor activities without implementing the REP. When it comes to trade shows and paid-entry markets such as artisan, craft, and holiday markets, they can now opt into the program.
“These changes maintain the intent of the REP – to keep Albertans safe – while reflecting what we’ve heard for businesses and venues to operate effectively. We continue to follow the evidence and update the guidance so the program can reduce the spread of COVID-19 in ways that make sense for Albertans,” said Copping.
The province identified 379 new cases of the virus in the last day. Currently, 465 people are in the hospital, and 98 are in intensive care.
There are 4,969 active cases of COVID-19 in Alberta.
One new death was reported in the province on Thursday, bringing the total to 3,232 since the start of the pandemic.
Local update
Here are the number of active cases as of Thursday:
- Fort Saskatchewan: 32 cases
- Sherwood Park: 85 cases
- Strathcona County: 21 cases
- Sturgeon County: 19 cases
- Morinville: eight cases
- Lamont County: two cases
Three local schools are currently listed as under “Alert” status, Fultonvale Elementary Junior High School and Heritage Hills Elementary School, both in Sherwood Park, are under “Alert” status with 2-4 cases of COVID-19. Brentwood School in Sherwood Park is under “Alert” status with 5-9 cases.
Vaccinations
The total per cent of people fully immunized with the vaccine as of Thursday:
- Fort Saskatchewan: 71.3 per cent
- Sherwood Park: 78.6 per cent
- Strathcona County: 74.1 per cent
- Sturgeon County West (including Morinville): 67.7 per cent
- Sturgeon County East: 67.3 per cent
- Lamont County: 64.4 per cent
A total of 6.82-million doses of the vaccine have now been administered in the province; 88.5 per cent of the population over 12 has received at least one dose, while 83.5 per cent are fully vaccinated.