'No margin for error': Albertans look for immediate impact from restrictions as COVID-19 cases climb
As Alberta's latest round of COVID-19 health measures take hold, experts are predicting a dicey stretch — but there is reason to believe case numbers could soon decrease.
The number of daily new cases reported has been above 1,300 for two and a half weeks, but the rolling average is somewhat levelling off.
Infectious disease expert Dr. Craig Jenne says he's hoping new rules around masking and mandatory vaccination will make an even bigger dent on the figures.
"We simply have no margin for error," he said. "There's no room, no care left. We need to make sure these numbers stop rising and begin to decline rapidly."
The province's health care system has taken a major hit in September.
COVID-19 patients are flooding the facilities and surge capacity is quickly filling.
Help is on the way from Ottawa, but even as case numbers climb, Albertans will likely still be facing another week of growing hospital admissions.
Hospitalizations are a lagging indicator, which means they'll take longer to be impacted by the new restrictions. But, in other jurisdictions, similar health measures were able to bring hospital admissions and ICU numbers to a manageable level.
In British Columbia, rapidly-climbing cases were all but levelled out by a strict vaccine passport mandate.
Alberta's newest round of rules are less stringent, but experts believe they'll still have an effect on what is becoming a dire situation.
"(Alberta's) rate of growth has declined to, instead of five or six per cent a day, down to two per cent a day," said Dean Karlen of the B.C. Modelling Group.
"So that's in the right direction. In British Columbia, we were growing at two per cent a day about a month ago. Now we're down to zero."
Still, Jenne says there's no reason to become complacent.
"We're hoping that this means we're starting to plateau," he told CTV News. "But this plateau is still unmanageably high."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
RCMP not investigating possible foreign interference cases related to Chiu, Dong: Duheme
Canada's federal police force is not investigating any possible instances of foreign interference in the cases of former Conservative MP Kenny Chiu and Liberal-turned-Independent MP Han Dong, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme says.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Air France flight from Paris to Seattle lands in Iqaluit after heat smell in cabin
A plane travelling from Paris to Seattle was forced to make an emergency landing in Iqaluit after there was a heat smell in the cabin during the flight.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
Federal government grants B.C.'s request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces
The federal government is granting British Columbia's request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces, nearly two weeks after the province asked to end its pilot project early over concerns of public drug use.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Trudeau's handling of Poilievre's 'wacko' House turfing a clear sign of Liberal desperation
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca