Calgarians remain cautious as COVID-19 infections increase
As COVID-19 infection rates are increasing ahead of the new school year, some Calgary parents feel uneasy.
“I’ve got two children returning to school after being home for the year that don’t have access to the vaccine, they’re not 12 yet,” said Mary Lang.
Lang said her family has just slowly started to open their bubble.
“We’ve been extremely cautious over the last year and we’ve gone back to only outside, we have one member going into the cafe, we never really stopped masking anyway.”
Chase Friesen said she’s been cautious about COVID-19 and that isn’t about to change with infection numbers in the triple digits.
“I still wear a mask everywhere I go like on the train and into every building I go into,” said Friesen. “I feel it's important to protect people especially service workers who have been through this the entire time, protect them and protect people who can’t get vaccinated.”
Friday the province reported 763 new cases. Hospitalizations increased by 23, bringing the number of people in hospital to 221. The last time Alberta saw a jump like this in hospitalization numbers was April 24.
In June, when the premier announce the province’s open for summer plan, Jason Kenney said he couldn’t imagine a fourth wave hitting Alberta.
“We just don’t see that scenario…This is open for good, not just open for summer. We will have to from time to time address localized outbreaks,” said Kenney at a June 18 press conference.
But the fourth wave is here nevertheless.
“It’s a consequence of (the) Delta (variant) being present and being dominant but also just the increased connectivity of people right now,” said Dr. Lynora Saxinger, infectious disease specialist.
Saxinger said the trend will likely continue as more people move indoors with the return to work and school.
Saxinger said even though the healthcare system isn’t overwhelmed right now, the increase of cases and hospitalizations is concerning.
“I expected that cases would go up as we relaxed everything. I expected that cases would be higher in younger age groups. I did not expect that we’d be seeing a hospitalization uptick already.”
Saxinger said even fully-vaccinated people can take steps to be cautious including choosing outdoor settings when gathering, wearing masks indoors, paying attention to hand hygiene and also staying within networks of vaccinated people.
LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY
The opposition is criticizing the provincial government for what it calls a lack of accountability and says more needs to be done to get first and second doses in arms.
“This government should be working aggressively to make vaccination as easy and attractive as possible. Beyond this the Kenney government should suspend its plans to tear down the test, trace, isolate system on September 27 and instead set a benchmark for success tied to one of the key indicators,” said David Shepherd, NDP critic for health.
Local businesses are also watching the numbers increase and worry they could take another hit as infections increase.
“It certainly is concerning,” said Darcy Anderson, owner of Trapped Escape Room.
Anderson said her staff are taking whatever precautions they can to stay open.
“All the staff is all double vaccinated, they continue to wear masks throughout the day, we are continuing to clean before and after each group.”
Anderson said one advantage for them is all their bookings are private so they keep groups in their own cohorts and they are able to keep groups spaced apart.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Intelligence memo flagged possible 'violent revenge' after Ottawa protest shutdown
Newly disclosed documents show federal intelligence officials warned decision-makers that the police dispersal of 'Freedom Convoy' protesters in Ottawa last winter could prompt an 'opportunistic attack' against a politician or symbol of government.

The return of Zellers: Hudson's Bay to resurrect Canadian discount retail chain
Canadian department store Zellers hopes to make a comeback next year, a decade after the discount chain shuttered most of its locations.
Proportion of French speakers declines nearly everywhere in Canada, including Quebec
The proportion of Canadians who predominantly speak French at home declined in all provinces and territories except Yukon between 2016 and 2021, according to the latest census release.
Majority of Canadians say sexual misconduct is a big issue in youth hockey: survey
Amid allegations of sexual assaults involving members of past Canadian men’s world junior hockey teams, Canadians say sexual misconduct remains a concerning issue within the sport’s culture.
Increased loneliness, isolation a side effect of inflation for Canadian seniors
Canadian seniors are being forced to make tough choices, cutting out frills and nice-to-haves in the face of near 40-year-high inflation rates. But older adults also face a unique, less-talked-about challenge — the increased social isolation that experts say often occurs as a result of high inflation.
Trump's angry words spur warnings of real violence: officials
A growing number of ardent Donald Trump supporters seem ready to strike back against the FBI or others who they believe go too far in investigating the former U.S. president.
Large fire in central London railway arch now under control: fire service
A large fire that broke out in a railway arch in Southwark, central London, on Wednesday morning was under control by midday, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) said.
Crimea 'sabotage' highlights Russia's woes in Ukraine war
A spate of explosions and a fire that was still burning Wednesday have turned Russian-annexed Crimea from a secure base for the further invasion of Ukraine into the latest flashpoint highlighting Moscow's challenges ahead in a war that is nearing the half-year mark.
More than half of Canadians say the pandemic negatively impacted their children: report
A new report has found that more than half of Canadian parents report 'negative impacts' on their children after two years of living through the COVID-19 pandemic.