Subscribe to the 100% free rdnewsNOW daily newsletter!
47 new variant cases reported Wednesday

Hinshaw says COVID-19 variant cases rising, measures slowing spread

Mar 10, 2021 | 4:25 PM

Dr. Deena Hinshaw announced another 47 new variant cases of COVID-19 in the province Wednesday, and the Central Zone now has 130 of the 734 total variant cases.

But Alberta is doing better at slowing the spread of the variants than many other jurisdictions, says the province’s chief medical officer of health.

“In the past six weeks, the percentage of all of our cases has risen somewhat from about three per cent of all active cases in late January to about nine per cent of active cases today,” said Hinshaw.

“Having said that, in other jurisdictions they have seen a much more rapid growth of variants of concern as a proportion of all COVID cases, going from three to four per cent to well over half of all cases in just six weeks.

“This means that our health measures, both the overall restrictions as well as the targeted measures for variant cases, are working to slow the growth and if we continue to work together we can continue to limit the spread,” said the chief medical officer of health.

Alberta began taking appointments this morning for the AstraZeneca vaccine, making it available for those born in 1957.

Hinshaw says as of 2:30 p.m. more than 11,500 Albertans had booked appointments.

Appointments are available in all zones and at 8 a.m. Thursday will be open to all Albertans born in 1958 and First Nations and Metis people born in 1973.

She urged everyone eligible to get the vaccine to do so and continue to follow public health guidelines.

She also thanked the Alberta Health Services team behind the “mammoth” rollout of the vaccines.

(CHAT News Today)