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COVID-19 info for Albertans

Taking action to protect lives and livelihoods with precise measures to bend the curve, sustain small businesses, and protect the health care system.

Table of contents

Current situation

Alberta entered Stage 3 of the Open for Summer Plan on July 1. All public health measures have been lifted, except for isolation/quarantine requirements and some restrictions in health care settings and public transit.

Translated resources

COVID-19 resources are available in عربي, 中文, हिंदी, 한국어, فارسی, ਪੰਜਾਬੀ, Af-Soomaali, Español, Français, Tagalog, Tiếng Việt and اردو on alberta.ca/CovidTranslated.

Cases in Alberta

  • 235,641 Total cases
  • 397 Cases on August 4
  • 230,786 Recovered cases
  • 2,329 Deaths
  • 2,526 Active cases*
  • 102 In hospital
  • 24 In intensive care**
  • 4,901,387 Total tests completed
  • 7,460 Tests on August 4
  • 2,254,668 People tested
  • 5,355,254 Vaccine doses as of August 4

Updated August 5. Numbers are current as of end-of-day August 4. Case numbers are updated daily Monday to Friday.
*Active cases include both community cases and hospitalizations. **ICU cases are a subset of those in hospital.

Information for Albertans

Get your shot at a million
Got vaccinated? Enter the Open for Summer Lottery for 2 more shots to win. Not vaccinated yet? Book your shot today.
Open for Summer
Alberta's Open for Summer Plan safely eases public health restrictions as vaccine targets are reached and hospitalizations decline.
Get tested
COVID-19 testing is available to all Albertans with symptoms and anyone linked to an outbreak.
Isolate or quarantine
You must isolate for 10 days if you have a core symptom and follow federal quarantine rules if you are returning from travel outside of Canada.

Prevent the spread

  • Practice good hygiene

    In addition to getting vaccinated, practicing good hygiene habits can protect you and those around you from spreading COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses.

    • Stay home if you are feeling sick.
    • Wash or sanitize your hands often.
    • Cover your coughs and sneezes.
    • Avoid touching your face.
  • Gather safely

    There are no longer restrictions on social gatherings. However, if you are gathering with people you don’t know or who are not vaccinated, you can practice these optional precautions to limit the risk of spreading COVID-19.

    • Practice physical distancing of 2 metres.
    • Wear a mask if it’s in an indoor space.
    • Sanitize common touch surfaces.
  • Monitor your symptoms

    COVID-19 symptoms are similar to influenza and other respiratory illnesses and can range from mild to severe. Even people with mild symptoms can spread COVID-19 to others.

    If you have any symptom, stay home and take the online assessment to arrange testing.

  • Isolate if required

    Isolation and quarantine requirements are in place for individuals with COVID-19 symptoms.

    Learn more about isolation and quarantine

  • How it spreads

    COVID-19 is transmitted though tiny droplets of liquid produced by people who have the virus. The virus spreads by:

    • breathing in air that contains infected droplets from people coughing, sneezing, talking, laughing, and singing
    • touching objects or surfaces the virus has landed on and then touching your eyes, nose or mouth (bath towels, kitchen utensils, door knobs, etc.)

    People who have COVID-19 can spread it to others before they start to feel sick.

    COVID-19 does not appear to transmit like measles through airborne transmission, but there may be circumstances that raise the risk of aerosol transmission. Individuals and businesses should apply mitigation strategies where these risks exist.

    We think the virus generally only survives for a few hours on a surface or object, but it may be possible for it to survive several days under some conditions.

  • Variants of concern

    Variants of concern spread more easily than the original COVID-19 strain, which could result in more severe illness, hospitalizations and deaths.

    Alberta is monitoring for variants of concern. The B.1.1.7 variant is the dominant strain in our province.

    Symptoms in variant cases are the same as the original virus, including cough, fever, shortness of breath, runny nose, and sore throat.

    Learn more about COVID-19 variants

Financial supports

  • Critical Worker Benefit

    The Critical Worker Benefit provides a one-time payment of $1,200 to eligible Albertans in recognition of their hard work providing care and critical services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The application period for phase 2 is open to new categories of workers in the social services and private sectors.

    Learn more

  • Alberta Jobs Now program

    Private and non-profit businesses can apply for funding to offset the cost of hiring and training unemployed or underemployed Albertans into new or vacant full-time jobs.

    Employers can get up to:

    • $25,000 for each new hire, or
    • $37,500 for each new employee with a disability

    Workers cannot apply for the program directly, but can let potential employers know they can apply for the Alberta Jobs Now program if they hire you.

    Applications for the first intake closed on July 23, 2021

    Next intake: September 16 to December 31, 2021

    Learn more

  • Paid vaccination leave

    All working Albertans can access 3 hours of paid, job-protected leave to get each dose of the vaccine.

    Learn more

  • Individuals and families

    Financial support programs are available to help people experiencing unemployment and those who cannot work because they are sick, need to isolate, or are caring for someone in isolation.

    See all federal benefit programs

  • Businesses

    Businesses and self-employed people can access supports to help with COVID-19-related challenges to:

    • avoid layoffs, rehire employees and create new jobs
    • access financial support, loans and credit

    Use the business benefit finder

Get help

Info for organizations and vulnerable Albertans

  • Caregivers support

    Nearly one million Albertans act as caregivers for loved ones experiencing challenges related to illness, disability or aging. These caregivers need support too.

    Caregivers can get psychosocial and other peer and community supports by calling the toll-free caregiver advisor line at 1-877-453-5088 or going online to caregiversalberta.ca.

  • Expectant parents

    Pregnant people have a higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 than for those who are not pregnant.

    Infected pregnant people may also have a higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as preterm birth, compared to those who are pregnant without COVID-19.

    Because of this, pregnant people are encouraged to get the COVID-19 vaccine when it's available.

    While there is limited evidence on how the COVID-19 vaccines may impact pregnant people, no adverse outcomes have been reported in clinical trials or in the vaccine roll out.

    Resources

  • COVID Care Teams

    We are working with the cities of Calgary and Edmonton to access local agencies and organizations to provide on-the-ground support to communities experiencing a high number of cases of COVID-19, compared to other areas across the province.

    Residents in these communities may face barriers that could contribute to increased rates of COVID-19 transmission:

    • employment in public-facing, higher risk jobs – for example, front-line health care, maintenance, transportation
    • live in higher density, multi-family or multi-generational homes
    • are a newcomer to Alberta and may not have supports in place
    • have English language barriers
    • earn a lower than average income

    To help address these barriers, COVID Care Teams will:

    • distribute care packages with masks, sanitizers and translated resources
    • refer people to 811 for additional information in multiple languages
    • inform residents of the nearest COVID-19 assessment and testing centres
    • connect people to transportation to COVID-19 testing facilities, if needed
    • refer people to AHS for self-isolation options for people unable to safely do so at home
    • provide information about financial supports for people who need to isolate

    Isolation supports

    Upon referral by AHS, free hotel rooms and financial support are available to all Albertans who must isolate due to COVID-19 but cannot do so in their own homes. Call 211 for more information.

    News

Chief medical officer updates

The last regularly scheduled update from Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical officer of health, was on June 29, 2021. Future updates will be provided only when required.

News

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