Update 164: COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta (Dec. 22, 4:45 p.m.)

Latest updates

• Over the last 24 hours, 1,021 new cases were identified.
• There are 802 people in hospital due to COVID-19, including 152 in intensive care.
• There are 18,311 active cases in the province.
• To date, 73,298 Albertans have recovered from COVID-19.
• There was an increase of 14,199 tests (2,671,156 total) for a total of 1,620,580 people tested.
• The testing positivity rate is 7.2 per cent.
• In the last 24 hours, there were 11 additional COVID-related deaths reported: one on Dec. 11, three on Dec. 18, three on Dec. 19, one on Dec. 20, and three on Dec. 21.
• The total number of COVID-19 related deaths is now 871.
• All zones across the province have cases:
  • Calgary Zone: 6,555 active cases and 29,156 recovered
  • South Zone: 412 active cases and 4,346 recovered
  • Edmonton Zone: 8,644 active cases and 30,606 recovered
  • North Zone: 1,121 active cases and 4,976 recovered
  • Central Zone: 1,462 active cases and 4,068 recovered
  • 117 active cases and 146 recovered cases in zones to be confirmed
  • Additional information, including case totals, is online.
• Currently, 441 schools, about 19 per cent, are on alert or have outbreaks, with 1,971 cases in total.
  • Of those, 134 schools are on alert, with 233 total cases.
  • Outbreaks are declared in 307 schools, including 128 on watch, with a total of 1,738 cases.
  • So far, in-school transmission has likely occurred in 388 schools. Of these, 199 have had only one new case result.
  • Based on data available to date, 354 schools have been removed from the alert list.
  • An online map lists schools with two or more confirmed cases, updated every school day.
• There are 1,172 active and 4,333 recovered cases at long-term care facilities and supportive/home living sites.
• To date, 570 of the 871 reported deaths (65 per cent) have been in long-term care facilities or supportive/home living sites.
• Alberta is reporting case numbers and information daily, including on weekends and holidays.

COVID-19 immunization program

• Alberta has received a second shipment of Pfizer vaccine that will be offered to health-care workers and long-term care workers across the province. A total of 25,350 vaccine doses have arrived in the province and will be delivered to vaccine sites around Alberta.

Provincewide restrictions to slow the spread of COVID-19

• In response to increasing case numbers, enhanced public measures prohibiting social gatherings, requiring masking and restricting businesses and services are in effect.
• All indoor and outdoor social gatherings – public and private – are prohibited.
• Individuals who live alone may join another household for one gathering only during the holiday period (Dec. 23-28).
  • A household must only host a maximum of two people who live alone and only one event (not including minors).
  • This approach strives to balance mental wellness for individuals living alone and the need to limit spread.
• All existing guidance and legal orders remain in place.

Testing for travellers from the U.K.

• All travellers who have arrived from the United Kingdom since Dec. 7 should immediately get a COVID-19 test, whether they have symptoms or not.
• Travellers will be contacted directly by Alberta Health Services to book a test.
• Also, travellers from the United Kingdom who are participating in the border pilot must immediately quarantine, whether they’ve had a negative test or not. All returning travellers currently in quarantine must remain in quarantine for the full 14 days.

Rapid testing

• Rapid point-of-care testing has begun at long-term care and designated supportive living facilities in the Edmonton Zone using dedicated mobile testing centres. Mobile testing centres will be deployed in the Calgary Zone this week.
• Remote and rural hospitals in Alberta will receive rapid tests in late December and early January.
• Rapid testing has already been expanded to homeless shelters and centres in Calgary and Edmonton.

Enforcement of public health measures

• The government has granted certain Alberta peace officers and community peace officers temporary authority to enforce public health orders.
• Not following mandatory restrictions will result in fines of $1,000 per ticketed offence and up to $100,000 through the courts.

Albertans downloading tracer app

• All Albertans are encouraged to download the secure ABTraceTogether app, which is integrated with provincial contact tracing. The federal app is not a contact tracing app.
• Secure contact tracing is an effective tool to stop the spread by notifying people who were exposed to a confirmed case so they can isolate and be tested.
• As of Dec. 21, 287,251 Albertans were using the ABTraceTogether app, 66 per cent on iOS and 34 per cent on Android. On average, 22 new users were registering every hour.
• Secure contact tracing is a cornerstone of Alberta’s Relaunch Strategy.

Influenza immunization

• Everyone, especially seniors and those at risk, is encouraged to get immunized against influenza.
• As of Dec. 12, 1,450,368 Albertans have received their flu shot. That means almost 33 per cent of Albertans are immunized against influenza so far this year.

MyHealth Records quick access

• Parents and guardians can access the COVID-19 test results for children under the age of 18 through MyHealth Records (MHR) as soon as they are ready.
• More than 473,873 Albertans have MHR accounts.

Access to justice

• For the latest updates on court operations, please visit:
  • Traffic Court
  • Provincial Court
  • Court of Queen’s Bench
  • Court of Appeal

Alberta’s Recovery Plan

• Alberta’s Recovery Plan will create jobs, economic diversification and a strong economic future.

Addiction and mental health supports

• Confidential supports are available. The Mental Health Help Line at 1-877-303-2642 and the Addiction Help Line at 1-866-332-2322 operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Resources are also available online.
• The Kids Help Phone is available 24-7 and offers professional counselling, information and referrals and volunteer-led, text-based support to young people by texting CONNECT to 686868.
• Online resources provide advice on handling stressful situations and ways to talk with children.

Family violence prevention

• A 24-hour Family Violence Information Line at 310-1818 provides anonymous help in more than 170 languages.
• Alberta’s One Line for Sexual Violence is available at 1-866-403-8000, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• People fleeing family violence can call local police or the nearest RCMP detachment to apply for an Emergency Protection Order, or follow the steps in the Emergency Protection Orders Telephone Applications (COVID-19).
• Information sheets and other resources on family violence prevention are at alberta.ca/COVID19.

Alberta’s government is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic by protecting lives and livelihoods with precise measures to bend the curve, sustain small businesses and protect Alberta’s health-care system.

Quick facts

• Legally, all Albertans must physically distance and isolate when sick or with symptoms.
• Good hygiene is your best protection: wash your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds, avoid touching your face, cough or sneeze into an elbow or sleeve, and dispose of tissues appropriately.
• Please share acts of kindness during this difficult time at #AlbertaCares.
• Alberta Connects Contact Centre (310-4455) is open Monday to Friday, 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.