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
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.