Mission accomplished? Hinshaw issues one final address ahead of reopening

CALGARY -

She has been the face and human voice of hundreds of provincial COVID-19 updates in Alberta over the past 16 months.

Tuesday was her final one.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the chief medical officer of health took questions from reporters one final time, ahead of the province’s ‘open for summer’ on July 1.

"As we enter stage three, you're on the cusp of not only removing many restrictions, but also opening up our social circles, businesses, and personal lives," she said.

Plummeting case counts and variant case counts, along with hospitalizations taking a deep dive, Alberta Health says it will continue with online reporting of daily numbers for vaccines and cases but Tuesday was the final presser for Hinshaw, after doing 245 of them since the pandemic was declared in mid-March, 2020.

She said Alberta Health would continue to be vigilant.

"We will also continue to actively investigate and contact trace new cases, as well as screen for variance," she said. "Health officials will continue investigating outbreaks and taking whatever steps are needed to protect the public's health."

ALBERTA DOING WELL

Doctor Chris Mody, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Calgary says Alberta is doing a good job of keeping COVID-19 at bay, ahead of a nearly restrictio- free summer.

“We’re doing very well in Alberta right now,” he said.

“But there are certainly some areas where there is great concern.”

Mody believes due to low vaccine numbers in a number of developing nations there's a risk of them becoming a breeding ground for new variants and that world leaders need to speak out about the urgent need to get vaccines delivered to those countries.

“Many places in Africa only about two per cent have received one dose, (and) this is an enormous problem globally,” said Mody.

“It basically provides a reservoir where the virus can continue to move through the population and continue to gain mutations, and when those mutations come, then there’s going to be problems in Alberta.”

PROVINCE OPEN FOR GOOD: KENNEY

Premier Jason Kenney says he does not plan to bring back restrictions, saying Alberta is not only open for summer, but for good.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney

About 72 per cent of the eligible population has received one dose, with more than 35 per cent fully vaccinated.

“The protection to the variants that we know of, is very good,” said Mody.

But he warns some caution is needed.

“COVID-19 has a few curves to throw just yet,” said Mody.

Alberta reported 61 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday, including 16 variant cases, during the chief medical officer of health’s last scheduled COVID-19 update.