Premier Jason Kenney and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Deena Hinshaw spoke to Albertans today about the Vaccine Program, Updated Case Numbers, The strain on ICUs, and the future of Restrictions.
Over 270,000 doses of vaccines have been administered in Alberta in the last 7 days.
Since Alberta opened the program up for those 12 years and up, over 328,000 more people have signed up to get their shot.
By tomorrow it’s expected that as a province we will reach over 2 million doses given.
Kenney reiterated that “Vaccines work. They save lives. They stop the spread.”
The hope is to have half of the Alberta Population vaccinated by the first week of June, and two thirds by the third week of June.
“We are in the home stretch now”, Kenney stated.
A new vaccine booking system is in the works and is expected to launch next month.
In the meantime the public can book through AHS or by calling 811.
The premier went on to talk about the Case Fatality Rate and how it’s on the decline.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw gave the daily numbers:
-1449 new cases (showing a slight decline)
-163 are in the ICU
-3 new deaths reported in the past 24 hours
Hinshaw talked about the positive signs that transmission is starting to slow, however rates are still high. Reiterating that following the restrictions is still important to combat the third wave.
During question period, Premier Kenney went over the ICU numbers, pointing out that the province has a total of around 220 patients in ICU. The record high for Alberta was about 190 last December, and around 170 pre-pandemic.
Kenney expects that the province could hit 250-260 ICU cases by late May or early June. This could be managed if more surgeries are postponed. He believes that the system could hold an absolute maximum of 425.
Kenney was also asked if there was a chance that we could be eating in restaurants again by the end of May.
The Premier hopes people will buckle down and follow the guidelines, because it could help lift some of the restrictions, however he doesn’t expect that specific rule to be lifted by then.
-Damien Gnass, Trending 55
