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
BREAKING Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
$1.6B parts plant for Honda electric vehicle batteries coming to Niagara Region
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Manitoba premier to visit areas impacted by wildfire
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will get a close-up look at the devastation from a large wildfire burning in northern Manitoba Tuesday.