Almost 700K COVID vaccine doses expected in Alberta

There are still hurdles to clear, says top doctor

Alberta expects to receive 680,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine early in the new year, but there are still hurdles and unknowns, says the province’s chief medical health officer.

“These (vaccine) numbers, of course, depend on many factors,” Dr. Deena Hinshaw told reporters Wednesday.

“They depend on the final pieces of the trials that are underway going well. They depend on ensuring that the safety and the effectiveness of the early vaccines can be assured.

“All of those checks and balances must be cleared.”

She said Alberta, with a population of about 4.4 million, would receive 465,000 does of the Pfizer Inc. vaccine and 221,000 doses of the Moderna one.

In recent days, both Pfizer and Moderna have said their vaccines are about 95 per cent effective in trials. They still must undergo regulatory review and approval.

The doses would be distributed on a per-capita basis.

Alberta continues to deal with high daily cases numbers, putting strain on contact tracing and the health system.

The province reported 730 new infections Wednesday, with 287 people in hospital and 57 of them in intensive care. There were 11 new deaths, bringing that total to 443.

There are 10,057 total active cases.

Hinshaw said the strain on contact tracing continues, with about 40 per cent of cases linked to a household or social gathering or private events.

Ten per cent are linked to continuing care centres, four per cent to schools and child care centres and three per cent to outbreaks at acute care facilities such as hospitals.

“For 30 per cent (of cases), the source remains unknown,” she said.

In response, the province imposed new measures late last week.

There is a 15-person limit on public gatherings and informal events in high-risk areas, which include urban centres and communities surrounding Edmonton and Calgary.

Bars, pubs and restaurants that serve liquor must stop serving by 10 p.m. and close an hour after that to prevent those establishments from becoming late night super-spreader party zones.

Distribution, however, can be complicated, given that both Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines need to be stored at cold temperatures. Both also require two shots, 21 days apart.

“This is a major logistical challenge but we have an entire group within the ministry of health right now that are planning for that,” she said.

The news on vaccines was a bright spot on an otherwise sombre day for many provinces struggling with the virus’ fallout. Both Quebec and Ontario reported more than 30 additional deaths each on Wednesday, as well as well over 1,000 new cases.

The news prompted Ontario Premier Doug Ford to warn that parts of the province were “staring down the barrel of another lockdown.”

Ford warned new measures for Toronto and neighbouring Peel and York regions would be announced on Friday.

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, sounded the alarm over a rise in cases in vulnerable populations and settings.

“Cases have been increasing in elderly adults for several weeks, with those aged 80 years and older now having the highest incidence rate nationally,” she said in a statement.

“More and larger outbreaks are occurring in long-term care homes, congregate living settings and hospitals, and spreading in Indigenous communities.”

Tam also mentioned Nunavut, which began a two-week shutdown of schools and non-essential businesses amid what the premier described as a significant rise in cases.

The territory reported 10 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, bringing its total from 60 to 70.

Tam said the rise in transmission puts lives at risk and presents significant challenges for health services, especially in areas not equipped to manage what she called complex medical emergencies.

British Columbia Premier John Horgan suggested the time had some for a “pan-Canadian approach” to limit non-essential travel, and promised to reach out to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the issue.

Non-essential travel is banned in B.C., and Horgan said he’d like that to apply to out-of-province visitors as well.

“We need to make sure that people in Coquitlam are living under the same rules as people in Chicoutimi,” Horgan said. British Columbia reported a recordbreaking 717 cases on Tuesday.

In Manitoba, health officials announced a new $298 fine for people who refuse to wear masks in indoor spaces as the province reported nearly 400 new cases and 11 additional deaths.

Saskatchewan reported 132 new infections and a rise in hospitalizations, to 76, as the opposition NDP called on Premier Scott Moe to impose a partial lockdown to stem the virus’s spread.

Even Atlantic Canada, long touted as a Canadian success story when it comes to keeping COVID-19 at bay, saw several new cases, including nine in New Brunswick, three in Nova Scotia, and two in Newfoundland and Labrador.