Chief medical officer of health COVID-19 update – November 26, 2020

Check against delivery.

Thank you, Tom and good afternoon everyone.

Before providing today’s update, I want to address reporting related to conversations of discussions at internal Emergency Operations Centre meetings.

I am profoundly disappointed that confidential internal conversations have been shared, actions that are a violation of the public service oath and code of conduct. 

This is a personal betrayal and a betrayal of the trust that our hard-working team has placed in each other.

For months, I have worked alongside a team that has been dedicated to supporting Albertans in responding to COVID-19.  

The team has been committed to providing evidence to inform policy decisions.

They have spent time away from their families to do this work and provide their best advice.

They have given their all, and they continue to do so.

I am profoundly grateful for the commitment of this team and today, I have reminded them, of my gratitude and commitment to their work.

Almost every day of the week, we discuss how to improve the pandemic response, and to debate a variety of ideas about how we can do better.

The comments as reported are taken out of context, separated from the many other discussions that would have occurred in the days before and after, as part of ongoing discussion to ensure my advice to the Premier and to the Minister of Health is grounded in evidence and considers every facet of potential discussions with elected leaders.

This process has been violated.

These meeting should be a safe space, where public servants have candid and ongoing conversations and debates.

This safety and trust are now broken.

I have been clear that my role as Chief Medical Officer of Health is set out in legislation.

My role is to provide the best advice possible to elected officials on how to protect the public health of all Albertans.

I take that responsibility seriously.

I care deeply about the health of Albertans. It remains my hope that Albertans understand that and respect that every conversation I have, put their health, and a holistic consideration of all aspects of their health, first.

There are no risk-free options with COVID-19. This pandemic has challenged us all, and required a wide range of complex decisions, all of which have strengths and weaknesses.

I continually provide recommendations to government, often outlining a range of policy alternatives which they then debate.

Once elected officials make a decision, my team works to implement the policy direction that the government has chosen, working with public health officials, Alberta Health Services and the rest of the public service to do everything possible to limit the spread of COVID-19.

I have always felt that my ideas are respectfully considered. I have always had respectful discussions between public servants and with elected officials. 

I do not dictate every detail of each policy decision, and I should not. I was not elected by Albertans.

The final decisions are up to elected officials, who were chosen by Albertans.

This is how democracy works.

I know that there are many views about how we should proceed.

However, we are becoming divided, when we most need to engage in respectful dialogue. We need to do this together for the health of all Albertans.

We must listen to and consider the thoughts of others who do not agree with us.

All of us want the same thing: to protect the health of Albertans, to protect our health system, and to minimize the impact this pandemic is having on everyone’s lives.

I have often said we are all in this together, because I believe it. And it remains as true today as ever.

Turning to today’s numbers, over the last 24 hours, we have identified 1,077 new cases of COVID-19 in Alberta, and about 15,900 tests were completed yesterday.

This means that our provincial positivity rate currently sits at about 7% and we have 14,052 active cases.

There are 383 people in hospital, of those, 84 are in ICU.

Sadly, I must also report 10 new deaths that were reported to us over the past 24 hours.

My condolences go out to the loved ones and friends who are mourning these lives lost.

Turning to schools, there are currently active alerts or outbreaks in 359 schools, about 15 per cent of all schools in Alberta.

Currently these schools have a combined total of 1,288 active cases.

This number includes 190 schools with outbreaks, including 84 currently on the watch list.

We continue to review the emerging evidence around COVID-19 and the best way to protect Albertans.

We have posted new fact sheets online today summarizing some of the recent literature on ways that COVID-19 is transmitted, masks and aerosol transmission – and what this means for you.

There has been interest in aerosol transmission, so let me take a moment to talk about that.

The emerging evidence shows what we have said for some time: the dominant mode of transmission is via respiratory droplets that happen when people are in close unprotected contact within two metres.

Since early in the pandemic, we’ve known that aerosol-generating medical procedures have the potential to cause transmission of the virus through the air at longer distances.

These procedures occur almost exclusively in medical settings and can be managed through additional infection prevention and control measures. 

Alberta Health has also been monitoring evidence and outbreaks since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Evidence shows that, in specific circumstances, there can be an increased risk of the virus travelling through the air across greater distances.

This is usually seen when individuals are together for prolonged periods of time, especially when doing activities like exercise that makes them expel small particles at greater volumes and distances.

I want to be clear that the current evidence indicates COVID does not spread through the same kind of long distances and long times that measles does, and the core recommendations that have been in place since the spring remain true – stay home when sick, wash or sanitize your hands regularly, keep distanced, and wear masks indoors when around those outside your household.

Personal protective equipment guidance remains the same, and the current evidence does not indicate a need to change that.

There are, however, steps that businesses and others can take such as paying attention to ventilation of indoor spaces, and we have posted an evidence-based one-pager on our website to help.

I want to thank everyone who is making a special effort to comply with the new mandatory and expanded public health measures.

I know it creates limitations that can be difficult for individuals and families, for workers and workplaces.

No one wants to stand in line to buy groceries.

Skype, Zoom, and other social media are great, but we all know they don’t really replace being together in person.

We’ve gone from being a society of huggers, hand-shakers and back-patters to a society of distancers.

I know it is hard to keep young children and their grandparents apart, and have young teens confined to home instead of sending them off to school.

It is difficult and can be lonely to have fewer options to socialize, shop or be entertained.

However, I thank everyone who is making that sacrifice to bring down the threat for everyone.

I remind everyone that public health measures only work if all of us follow them.

I also remind us all that there are clear benefits to socializing outdoors whenever possible.

Our province has so many wonderful ways to enjoy winter and the company of family outdoors – properly distanced, of course, and keeping participants to no more than 10.

Taking the dog to the off-leash area, using our hiking and biking trails, and enjoying a bonfire in a public park are great ways to rejuvenate the spirit.

Hosting a fire in your backyard is not recommended because under the ban on indoor gatherings, your guests cannot go into your house to use the washroom, get snacks, or warm up.

And while we can’t socialize in our homes, families in the same household can go out to a restaurant for a change of scene and cuisine.

If you prefer to dine at home, keep it safe. Limit it to only people in the household.

We all have options, even under the new public health measures. We all share the same challenges. And we are all in this together.

In fact, we are looking to all the public health measures to give all of Alberta a re-set on our case numbers.

For that to happen, all of us need to do our part. We need everyone to follow every measure.

Just as we all need to work together to be successful, the restrictions in place are only successful if they all work together.

Let’s bring the numbers down in time for restrictions to ease for the holidays.

Let’s do everything possible to limit our contacts with those outside our households.

Let’s make a special effort to stay in touch with people who are feeling alone and abandoned by calling them, writing, sending text messages and visiting outdoors.

The more we do that, and the more that each of us goes the extra mile, the more effective we will be in reducing the spread in the coming weeks.

I would also like to recognize the nearly 1.3 million Albertans who have now gotten their immunization for influenza this year. 

This is more than 228,000 more people than at the same time last year.  

What’s more, we have still not seen a single lab-confirmed case of seasonal influenza. We know that influenza hits at different times depending on the season, so it’s not scientifically useful to compare numbers until the end of the year, but at this time last year we had 464 cases.

This does not mean that influenza is no longer a threat. But it is a reminder that there is hope, and that our actions can help protect each other from a wide range of illnesses.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 is more contagious than influenza, and for some people it is far more deadly. 

There is also no vaccine readily available at this time.

That is why we all need to take extra precautions to protect one another.

We are in this together. And we will get through this together.

Thank you and I will now turn the microphone over to the Minister.