Alberta will expand its COVID-19 vaccine deployment from March 15th, the Minister of Health said

Approximately 437,000 people between the ages of 65 and 74 will be vaccinated under the extended vaccine program, which will be launched within two weeks, Shandro said.

To avoid long delays for planners, Shandro said reservations will be offered in the two-year-old age group when Phase 2A begins on March 15. Anyone 73 or 74 years old can make a reservation on the first day. The second day will be available to people between the ages of 71 and 72.

“Staff and residents of support living facilities for the elderly who have not yet been vaccinated can also make reservations from day one,” said Shandro.

“Reservations are booked at both participating pharmacies, online booking tools and HealthLink 811. Indigenous peoples over the age of 50, Inuit and Metis will also receive the vaccine from the week of March 15th.”

Alberta Health Minister Tyler Shandro said Thursday that if the vaccine shipments arrive on time, all adults in the state will receive their first dose by the end of June. 0:52

The state is still finalizing the details, the exact start time will be announced in the week of March 15, and vaccination will begin that day or the next day, Mr. Shandro said.

“And it’s important to remember that under our system you will never lose your vaccination status,” he said. “Once you qualify, you maintain your qualification. No one is left behind.”

AstraZeneca for adults under 64

Alberta will soon begin using the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine and will only provide healthy adults between the ages of 50 and 64 with the first 58,500 doses of the vaccine, the minister said.

“These Albertans will have choices,” Shandro said. “They can book AstraZeneca now or wait for Pfizer or Moderna vaccination when Phase 2D begins in early May.”

According to Shandro, the AstraZeneca vaccine began to be booked on March 10 in Alberta, born in 1957, and for those born between 1958 and 1971, the next day, as long as the supply continues, You will be given the opportunity to make a reservation.

Other Phase 2 groups, he said, prioritize Pfizer and Modana vaccines for age, chronic health, or living environment.

Dr. Dina Hinshaw, Director of Health at Shandro and the State, recommended Thursday that all healthy Alberts be vaccinated as soon as they qualify, regardless of which vaccine options are offered. ..

“AstraZeneca works,” Shandro said. “It has been shown to reduce infections by 60-70% and serious consequences such as hospitalization by 80%. What makes this vaccine different is the prevention of asymptomatic infections, that is, COVID-19. It means reducing the spread of the disease. It is not used in a collective living environment such as housing for the elderly. “

The sooner people are vaccinated, the faster Alberta can reduce the burden on the health care system, he said.

“Extensive vaccination will help all Alberts return to normal life sooner, and today’s announcement is an exciting step forward and should bring hope to all of us.

“We haven’t got out of the pandemic yet. But as of today, there is more light at the end of the tunnel. We can see the other side, and everything goes as planned. If we do, we’ll get there faster than we wanted, even a few weeks ago. “

Friday celebrates its 1st anniversary

According to Hinsho, Thursday’s announcement is “great news” for the state, with plans to protect everyone with two doses by the fall.

“This will make a difference in the ongoing battle with COVID-19,” she said.

All three vaccines currently approved in Canada help protect against serious consequences and long-term health effects and dramatically reduce the risk of hospitalization and death.

“And if those reasons don’t resonate with you, know [that] Extensive vaccination helps us all return to a more normal lifestyle faster. Choosing to get vaccinated is one of the most important actions we can take for ourselves and our community. “

It’s been a year since Alberta identified the first case of COVID-19, Hinschso said.

“We have overcome the uncertainty of COVID-19 together and lived in a pandemic. We work health and socialize while there are researchers, scientists and medical professionals around the world. I had to find a new way to take care of it. I worked to learn as much as possible about this new virus and the best way to treat and prevent it.

“Despite the changes, challenges and losses we have encountered, we have proven how resilient Albertan is. COVID-19 is still so much in our community that we The fight isn’t over, but we’re very close to coming back to a more normal lifestyle than a year or a few weeks ago. “

Latest case number

The state reported 9 more deaths and 331 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday.

The hospital was treating 245 patients with illness, including 47 in the ICU bed.

Currently, there are 541 people in the state infected with two “variants of concern.”

There were 4,613 active cases across Alberta on Thursday. The regional breakdown of these active cases is as follows:

• Calgary Zone-1,645.
• Edmonton Zone-1,082.
• Central Zone-545.
• South Zone-326.
• North Zone-1,009.
• Unknown-6.

The laboratory has completed 9,483 tests in the last 24 hours.

As of Thursday, Alberta received more than 266,000 vaccines and more than 90,000 people were completely vaccinated with the second dose.