Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says it’s a good idea to have a physician who accused the province of exaggerating COVID-19’s impact on hospitals now lead a review of pandemic-era health data.
Smith says Dr. Gary Davidson was selected to lead the data review because she wants to hear a range of viewpoints, including from those “shouted down in the public sphere.”
Bodies and minds are just as affected by climate change as sea ice and forests, says University of Alberta scientist Sherilee Harper.
“Climate change impacts everything we care about,” she said. “It’s not just an environmental issue.”
That’s why Harper, along with 30 or so colleagues from disciplines as wide-ranging as economics and epidemiology, have banded together into what she calls Canada’s first university hub to shift the view of climate change from an environmental problem to a threat to human health.
Comments closedAs measles cases keep appearing in more parts of the country, new projections suggest there’s a high chance Canada may experience a “sizable outbreak” — with anywhere from dozens to thousands of people infected if the disease strikes communities with low vaccination rates.
As of Friday, at least 31 cases of measles have been reported so far this year across Canada, according to a CBC News tally of provincial and regional figures released by public health teams.
That’s already the largest annual total since 2019 and more than double the number of cases reported last year, as medical experts fear the number will rise while more Canadians travel in and out of the country this month for March break.
Comments closedThe fall COVID-19 vaccine cut the risk of COVID-19 illness by about half overall, and by 67 per cent for those with a previous infection, according to new research from the Canadian network that has long tracked the performance of the annual flu shot.
This is the first time the Canadian Sentinel Practitioner Surveillance Network, which is comprised of hundreds of primary care providers in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec, produced mid-season estimates of the effectiveness of immunization against COVID-19.
Comments closedA new COVID-19 variant appears to be on its way to taking over in Alberta, with one expert predicting it likely already accounts for the lion’s share of the province’s cases.
JN.1 is an offshoot of BA.2.86, which has evolved, like many of its predecessors, to better evade our immune defences.
It is now the dominant strain in Canada. Data from the Public Health Agency of Canada shows it accounted for about 66 per cent of COVID-19 cases nationwide by the end of December.
Comments closedA limited supply of the updated Novavax vaccine is rolling out in Alberta this week with appointment booking starting Wednesday and shots going into arms as of Friday.
Alberta Health said it has approximately 5,000 doses of the Novavax XBB.1.5 vaccine in stock.
The latest version of the protein-based vaccine was approved by Health Canada in early December.
Comments closedWhen approving the advertising campaign, the government’s revisions “included the removal of details about vaccine eligibility, immunization locations by age group and the types of vaccines being offered and their efficacy against different strains of COVID-19 and influenza. Two lines that encouraged Albertans to book vaccination appointments were also deleted.”
Comments closedAnother 36 Albertans have died from COVID, according to the latest weekly data released by the province on Thursday.
That brings the death toll for the current season to 306.
Comments closedAlberta hospitals are squeezing in extra intensive care unit beds as respiratory virus cases balloon and ICUs fill up.
Alberta Health Services has added 17 adult surge beds since last week — 12 in Edmonton and 5 in Calgary— bringing the total to 240.
Comments closedWith vaccination numbers lagging and the holiday season approaching, health experts are calling on Albertans to roll up their sleeves for their flu and COVID-19 shots.
As of Nov. 25, 17 people in Alberta had died of the flu during this respiratory virus season, and close to 500 were hospitalized, according to provincial data. In the same time frame, 245 deaths and almost 2,300 hospitalizations were tied to COVID-19.
Comments closedAlberta’s new respiratory virus dashboard provides weekly updates on the spread of COVID‑19 in the province, but making sense of the numbers can be a challenge — and it’s particularly difficult to figure out how many people have died.
Comments closedCalgary’s Peter Lougheed Centre is one of the latest hospitals to adopt Alberta Health Service’s mask directive to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Masking is now required for Peter Lougheed Centre’s staff, physicians, volunteers, contracted service providers and laboratory workers in patient-facing areas of the hospital.
The right-wing godfather’s Alberta government report promotes politicians over scientists and doctors.
Comments closedThe COVID-19 outbreak at Olds Hospital and Care Centre has grown since first being declared, according to Alberta Health Services (AHS).
Comments closedA panel reviewing Alberta’s COVID-19 response is calling for rule changes to ensure the province’s premier and cabinet have the last word in future crises, with help from a new senior science officer.
Comments closedIt could be dubbed the revenge of the anti-vaxxers. Or the triumph of COVID-19 conspiracy kooks.
Because there’s no question that the Alberta government’s dissection of the province’s public health care system as announced last week shows just how far it is willing to go to punish those who promoted vaccine mandates, mask mandates and any other measures in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Comments closedAlberta has close to 40 million COVID-19 rapid antigen tests in its stockpile and they’re all set to expire within a few months. Those that go unused will be trashed, the provincial government has confirmed.
Comments closedThe Drumheller Health Centre has become the first acute-care facility in southern Alberta to adopt AHS masking rules to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The mandate, posted by Alberta Health Services on Friday, requires all patients, visitors, and medical and non-medical staff to wear masks in areas where patients are cared for, including the long-term care and supportive living wings of the hospital, as well as the Community Cancer Centre.
Comments closed