COVID-19 threat will remain long after Stage 3 starts: Kenney
COVID-19 will continue to be a threat in Alberta for months — and possibly years — after the province reaches the 70 per cent vaccination benchmark to remove health restrictions, Premier Jason Kenney said Monday.
And even after the province reopens, we will still see seasonal spikes of the disease, he warned.
Speaking to reporters about the Open For Summer Lottery — which will see three $1-million prizes awarded in the coming months to Albertans who have been vaccinated — Kenney said the first of three draws will be made on the first day of Stage 3, but that won't mean an end to the pandemic.
"As Dr. (Deena) Hinshaw has said, COVID is not going away," he said.
"It's not going away at Phase 3. It will probably continue to be a healthcare issue for many years to come, just like the Spanish flu was for 30-plus years after its deadly phase. So we can expect to see COVID and different variant strains ricochet around the world and around our province for years to come, just like other contagious diseases do."
According to Kenney on Monday, about 48,300 more people need to receive a first dose before Alberta reaches its 70 per cent benchmark. According to the latest data, 68.7 per cent of the eligible population had been vaccinated with at least one dose.
Kenney added the goal of provincial health measures and mandates over the last 16 month was to stop the province's healthcare system from being overwhelmed.
"We've never been chasing after zero, people will continue to contract COVID," he said.
"There will be seasonal spikes. I guarantee you there will be one this fall, probably starting in mid-October, and some of those people will end up in hospital. Sadly, some of those people will pass away, just as we have dozens of people who die every year from the conventional flu.
"These are different diseases, COVID is more dangerous, but we also have much wider protection in terms of vaccines."
As the province's readies to move from Stage 2 to Stage 3 — when all health measures will be removed, two weeks after 70 per cent of Albertans age 12 and up have received a first shot — Kenney said officials are keeping a close eye on spread of the B.1.617 (Delta) variant, first identified in India.
An outbreak of the variant is ongoing at Foothills hospital in Calgary.
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.