Restrictions to continue into 2022, Kenney says in Facebook live appearance
From the best summer ever to the winter of 'we have to monitor all of this very carefully'.
That was the gist of the message delivered by Premier Kenney Wednesday night in a Facebook live appearance where Kenney said that restrictions would remain in place until at least the first quarter of 2022.
It was a sober message delivered despite the fact that the fourth wave of COVID-19 appears to have crested, with case numbers beginning to ebb.
"It appears the fourth wave is coming down. We see COVID-19 shrinking in Alta. All of those things are good news, but it's still too soon (to lift restrictions)," Kenney said.
"Why?" he said, continuing." Because we are headed into colder weather. People are indoors more, which leads to a risk of higher transmission. Plus we are likely to experience at some point this winter a waning effect of immunity acquired through natural infection. Plus a waning effect from the protection offered by vaccines."
"Don't get me wrong,"he added. "Vaccines are massively effective – but there is evidence in Israel and elsewhere, that that protection can abate over time – so we have to watch that very closely. It's why we're now offering booster shots to people over 75 in Alberta.
"Long story short: we just have to monitor all of this very carefully and not create arbitrary metrics given the virulence and lethality of the Delta variant and other potential variants that could come after."
Kenney said he hoped that six months from now, he and all Albertans would be looking back at the turning point in the pandemic, when it shifted to endemic – but confessed he's already gotten the timing of that prognostication wrong once before.
"We thought that was happening in the summer based on our analysis of other jurisdictions, and we were wrong in our analysis, and largely just because under vaccination here," he said.
"Here's the good news: the more people who get vaccinated, the more quickly we can move beyond restrictions as a response to COVID-19," he added.
"And the less likely we will be affected by future waves. And the more quickly we can reschedule all the surgeries that have been postponed.
"And the more lives that can be saved."
Thirty-eight new deaths related to COVID-19 were announced Wednesday and the province said 76 per cent of eligible Albertans are now vaccinated with two doses.
The Facebook lives do not permit journalists an opportunity to ask follow-up questions of the premier. Kenney last held a media conference on Tuesday.
His Facebook appearance also coincided with a new poll showing Kenney's approval rating to be the lowest among Canadian premiers, at 22 per cent.
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.
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.
BREAKING Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
WATCH LIVE As GC Strategies partner is admonished by MPs, RCMP confirms search warrant executed
The RCMP confirmed Wednesday it had executed a search warrant at an address registered to GC Strategies. This development comes as MPs are enacting an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power, summoning one of its contractors to appear before the House of Commons to be admonished publicly for failing to answer questions related to the ArriveCan app.
Disappointment widespread over budget's proposed $200-month disability benefit funding
Advocacy groups across Canada are expressing widespread disappointment about the amount of funding earmarked in the 2024 federal budget for the long-awaited Canada Disability Benefit.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
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.
Former Sask. massage therapist who sexually assaulted clients has day parole revoked
A former massage therapist who pleaded guilty to a string of sexual assaults has had his day parole revoked.