By Chris Brown

lowest case counts since last fall

Alberta taking on ‘new kind of challenge’ reopening from COVID: Hinshaw

Jun 22, 2021 | 4:29 PM

Alberta’s number of active COVID-19 cases has dipped below 2,000 and is at its lowest since early October.

The number of daily new cases has also dropped again, its lowest number since the fall.

“Our numbers are declining quickly which is a testament to the power of vaccines and the way Albertans are all helping protect each other,” said chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said at her Tuesday COVID-19 update.

There are 1,773 active cases in the province and 57 new cases today.

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Hinshaw said that Albertans will soon be able to enter a new phase in the pandemic and said anxiety and uncertainty is natural during the transition into a new kind of challenge.

“Learning to live with COVID as restrictions ease and life starts to feel closer to the one we knew before COVID-19 arrived,” she said.

She said there were firm rules over the past 15 months to slow the spread and protect the health-care system.

“Now as most restrictions will soon be easing, we need to learn how to live with this virus, without these rules. This means entering a time with less mandatory barriers on what we can do while still being thoughtful about how we manage risk,” Hinshaw said.

She said we’re up to the challenge and it will be critical to support each other in managing risks in ways that make sense for different contexts and risk factors.

Avoiding crowds indoors and masking will continue to be valid choices for those with risk factors for severe outcomes or who haven’t been fully immunized.

She added it also means moving at the pace that’s right for you.

“If you’re not ready to do something or want to take extra precautions that’s perfectly OK,” Hinshaw said.

She also encouraged everyone to approach others with compassion, saying it will make a critical difference in the weeks to come.

With cases falling quickly and vaccine uptake rising the province is making some changes to reporting.

There will no longer be weekend updates, but detailed data will continue to be posted on weekdays. R-Value reports will also change to two-week intervals from the current one-week.

As well, next Tuesday will be the last regularly scheduled availability for Hinshaw. After that she said live updates will be provided only when needed.

(CHAT News Today)