Calls grow for Alberta to recognize aerosol transmission of COVID-19
Alberta’s healthcare system still believes it is "not clear" what role aerosol transmission plays in the spread of the COVID-19 virus for distances greater than two metres.
Alberta Health says aerosol transmission is not a predominant mode of transmission except for health care settings, when performing aerosol generating medical procedures (AGMPs) and during specific circumstances in community settings.
That is information the province has relied on since November 2020.
However, the World Health Organization said in July – and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) said in November – that COVID-19 can be transmitted through small airborne droplets.
One Calgary doctor believes the province is falling behind and not changing its mitigation measures with time.
"We have this difficulty acknowledging that in our scientific community. I don’t understand it," said emergency room physician Joe Vipond.
"I feel that if we could successfully acknowledge that and put in airborne mitigation measures, we would be way further ahead not only in our hospitals – that are continuing to suffer under outbreak after outbreak – but also with the public and other workers in non-healthcare fields.”
Vipond says the personal protective equipment Albertans is just not adequate enough when recognizing aerosol transmission. He believes the common surgical mask does not work as well as an N95 respirator, something he believes all Albertans should have.
"We are putting people with symptoms in special places and with special equipment and yet your healthcare colleague or a patient with a shoulder dislocation could just as easily be infected with COVID and you don’t know it,” he said.
The Dandy Brewing Company says it does not want to see another shutdown and would accept any help from the province if airborne transmission is acknowledged.
"There’s a light at the end of the tunnel for a lot of us in this industry, so anything we can do to prepare and protect to stay open and keep everyone safe, that’s top of mind for us," said co-owner Ben Leon.
Alberta Health says the predominant mode of transmission of COVID-19 is via large respiratory droplets during close unprotected contact.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
Prince William and wife Kate thank public for birthday messages for son Louis
Prince William and his wife Kate thanked the public for their messages which had been sent to mark the sixth birthday of their youngest son Louis on Tuesday.
She was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father. Then life dealt her a blow
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
'Catch-and-kill' strategy to be a focus as testimony resumes in Trump hush money case
A veteran tabloid publisher was expected to return to the witness stand Tuesday in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial.
Quebec farmers have been protesting since December. Is anyone listening?
Upset about high interest rates, growing paperwork and heavy regulatory burdens, protesting farmers have become a familiar sight across Quebec since December.
South Korean sentenced to 14 months in jail for killing 76 cats
South Korean man has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for killing 76 cats in one of the country's most gruesome cases of animal cruelty in recent years.