'Still a ways to go in Alberta:' Top doctors weigh in on plan to end isolation
Canada's top doctors say Alberta's decision to end isolation requirements for those who test positive for COVID-19, or who have been in close contact with someone who has, could have ripple effects across the country.
“I firmly believe that quarantine and isolation can help prevent the spread of COVID-19, especially in light of the spread of the Delta variant,” Theresa Tam, the country's chief public health officer, said Friday during a news briefing in Ottawa.
She urged people to continue isolating, get tested for COVID-19 and inform their close contacts even if it is no longer required.
Alberta announced earlier this week that close contacts of positive cases are no longer being notified of exposure by contact tracers, nor are they required to isolate. The government has also ended asymptomatic testing.
As of Aug. 16, individuals who test positive won't be legally required to isolate either, although it will still be recommended. Isolation hotels will close and quarantine supports will end.
Alberta's case levels have been rising and the Delta variant is now dominant.
Vaccination rates have begun to lag. About 75 per cent of eligible Albertans have received at least one dose of vaccine and 64 per cent are fully immunized.
That means there are hundreds of thousands of unvaccinated people in Alberta, Tam said, and there's the potential for large COVID-19 clusters and outbreaks.
“The bottom line is get vaccinated. There's still a ways to go in Alberta.”
The consequences of Alberta's decision could spread beyond provincial boundaries, added Dr. Howard Njoo, Canada's deputy chief public health officer.
“Everyone is alive to the fact that there could be, as they say, 'knock-on effects' to the other provinces and territories with travel within Canada,” he said.
Alberta's decision to lift all restrictions has been widely condemned by local leaders and health-care providers.
As well, the Canadian Paediatric Society has sent an open letter to Alberta's chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, urging her to think twice about lifting isolation and testing requirements.
The letter called the move an “unnecessary and risky gamble.”
The society said children under the age of 12, who are unable to get the vaccination, will be particularly vulnerable.
“Dropping these public health measures, especially when we are in such a delicate phase of recovery, has the potential to worsen the spread of the virus and could jeopardize future recovery plans and supports,” the letter said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2021
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
BREAKING London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.