Restrictions kick in; 1,597 new cases in province
Alberta remains Canada's hot spot, as kids 12 and older now eligible for vaccine
Hospitalizations due to COVID -19 continued to climb in Alberta on Monday as new restrictions came into effect and vaccinations opened to anyone born in 2009 or earlier.
Provincial data updated Monday showed 690 people were in hospital with COVID -19 — including 158 in ICU — and 1,597 new cases were reported after 13,921 tests. Although the number of new cases dipped from Sunday, the percentage of tests coming back positive for COVID-19 was up to around 11.5 per cent from 10.5 per cent the day previous.
The death toll reached 2,177 after seven more deaths. The province also reported 406 new variant cases. However, the government recently scaled back variant testing after saying last month the B.1.1.7 strain has become dominant in Alberta.
RESTRICTIONS BEGIN, VACCINES OPEN WIDER
The new restrictions, announced last week, require all Alberta restaurants to close patios and offer only takeout or delivery, and personal and wellness services like hair salons and tattoo parlours must close as of Monday.
Fines for breaking health orders have doubled to $2,000 from $1,000, but the most severe violations can result in a $100,000 ticket.
Also as of Monday, anyone 12 and older is eligible to book appointments for a COVID-19 vaccine through the Alberta Health Services' online booking portal, or by calling 811 or participating pharmacies.
Around 3.8 million Albertans are now eligible for the jab, and more than 1.9 million shots have been doled out, according to provincial data.
Federal vaccine delivery forecasts show Alberta is expected to get 236,340 Pfizer and 116,700 Moderna shots this week.
ALBERTA IS CANADA'S COVID-19 HOT SPOT
Meanwhile, Alberta retained its place as Canada's COVID-19 hot spot on Monday.
The infection rate was the highest of any Canadian province and territory, with 4,758 cases per 100,000 people, followed by Ontario at 4,184 per 100,000.
Alberta has nearly twice the rate of neighbouring B.C.
There were 25,438 active COVID-19 cases in Alberta by Monday. Nearly half — 11,312 cases — were in the Calgary Zone. The Edmonton Zone had 5,944 active cases, but hospitalizations were nearly on par with the Calgary region and ICU stays were higher.
From May 3 to 9, Alberta's R value — where a rate below one indicates the rate of spread is dropping — was 1.0, with 0.96 for the Edmonton Zone, 1.06 for the Calgary Zone, and 0.94 for the rest of the province.
Health Canada data show there have been more than 1.2 million COVID -19 cases and 24,682 deaths across the country since the pandemic began.
Globally, more than 3.2 million people have died from the disease and there have been 157 million cases, according to the World Health Organization.