Albertans rush to get their shots following vaccine restriction announcement
Alberta's effort in fighting COVID-19 has been given a shot to the arm thanks to a big day of vaccination.
The province says 28,158 people received a dose of the vaccine Thursday following Wednesday's announcement of its Restrictions Exemption Program.
That's up from just 9,750 the day before.
Eighty per cent of eligible Albertans have now received a first dose, and just under 72 per cent are fully immunized.
Westend Pharmacy owner Hazel Patel said the uptick was a noticeable one.
"I was expecting 10 to 15 people would be convinced, but then it was overwhelming," she said. "I had like 25 people yesterday (up from four the day before)."
Province-wide, more than three and a half times the number of doses were given out this Thursday than last. And a large chunk of those were people getting shot number one.
More than 16,000 Albertans received their first dose Thursday. And more than 60 per cent of those people are under 40-years-old: reason for optimism in Alberta's age range with the lowest rate of immunization.
"We definitely are seeing more people reaching out asking for help," Alberta Vax Hunter's Sarah Mackey told CTV News. "We're seeing that take off again, which is exactly what we anticipated would happen if they announced the vaccine passport."
Other Canadian provinces that have announced similar vaccine restriction programs have noticed comparable increases.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.