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
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.