NEARING VACCINE THRESHOLD
On cusp of removing all health rules
Alberta is on the cusp of being able to remove nearly all health restrictions on Canada Day, despite a recent slowdown in the number of people getting their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
As of June 16, 69.9 per cent of people aged 12 and up in the province have had at least one dose of vaccine.
Alberta is set to enter Stage 3 of its reopening plan, removing most restrictions, two weeks after 70 per cent of all eligible residents have received their first shot.
If the province hits that benchmark by the end of day Thursday, the final stage of its Open For Summer plan will be scheduled to begin on Canada Day.
Alberta appeared poised to hit that mark well in time to see gatherings on July 1 several weeks ago; however, data posted to the government's website shows there has been a steep drop-off this week in the number of people showing up for their first shot.
Across Alberta, there were 5,342 first doses administered on June 16, 4,656 on June 15, 4,576 on June 14 and 3,630 on June 13. By comparison, there were over 13,000 first doses injected on June 10 and over 11,000 on June 11. Those numbers do not include aggregate data reported from the First Nations, Inuit and Health Branch of Indigenous Services Canada.
Alberta Health spokesman Tom Mcmillan said there is no specific indication as to why there has been a decline in numbers. He urged everyone to get their vaccines.
“We have seen a decline in first doses, but continue working to vaccinate as many people as possible,” said Mcmillan in an email Friday. “Vaccines save lives. If you haven't gotten your shot, please book an appointment today.”
A total of 24.2 per cent of eligible Albertans are fully immunized after more than 42,000 second doses were administered on Wednesday.
Stephanie Montesanti, an associate professor at the University of Alberta's School of Public Health, has been researching vaccine acceptance and uptake among marginalized communities across Canada. She said barriers to access continue to be an issue and urged the government to work with community groups and continue to hold pop-up clinics.
“I think further investment and resources should be allocated to community-led vaccine clinics that have been set up,” said Montesanti.
The province has set up several pop-up and walk-in vaccination clinics across Alberta; however, Montesanti said more of these need to be operated and at times that work for those working long hours.
“Definitely needs to be more of it backed by, you know, provincial resources and funding to sustain it,” said Montesanti. “To really break down misconceptions or miscommunication or information relating to vaccines.”
She said there also needs to be a change in discourse around vaccines, focusing on the level of access to shots as opposed to hesitancy or distrust of science.
Mcmillan said the province is using temporary clinics, mobile clinics, drive-thru clinics, advertising campaigns and other resources to get people vaccinated. He said there are plans to increase these efforts.
In addition to the various centres providing vaccines, Alberta recently launched a lottery with three $1-million prizes for people who can prove they've received various levels of vaccination. There are also 40 travel-related prizes to encourage people to get fully immunized.
Montesanti argued the money for the lottery would have been better invested in reaching out to various communities to help people get vaccinated.
Meanwhile, the province reported 150 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday. There are 2,471 active infections in the province, the lowest that number has been since Oct. 10.