Vaccine used in Alberta not linked to blood clot issue in Europe: Hinshaw

“We are currently using Covishield, the brand name of a vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India that is considered equivalent to Astra Zeneca by Health Canada,” she said. “Health Canada authorized these vaccines after independent and thorough scientific reviews for safety, efficacy and quality. And Canada has a robust surveillance system in place to detect rare occurrences following vaccination.”

She said Canadians can feel confident the review process for each vaccine was rigorous and systems are in place to monitor everything after authorization.

As well, Alberta has a strong adverse event surveillance system and any potential concerns will lead to more investigation by Alberta Health.

She also it is “important to note that these are extremely rare events in an area that is using a lot of vaccine.”

She also said that more than 11 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine have been given in the United Kingdom with no indication blood clots have happened more often than in the general population.

Hinshaw encouraged all Albertans to book an appointment for vaccination when they are eligible.

As of 2:30 p.m. more than 23,000 Albertans have signed up for their Covishield AstraZeneca vaccine. The rollout is being done by years and starting tomorrow those born from 1957-60 will be able to book appointments online or by calling 811.

First Nations, Metis and Inuit people born from 1972-75 can book by calling 811.

There are 10 active cases of COVID-19 in Medicine Hat on Thursday.

The city now has had 562 total cases – the 10 active, 535 recovered and there have been 17 deaths.

There is one new case in the city today and three new recoveries.

Across the province, there are 4,488 active cases, up 25 from Wednesday, and 130,716 recovered cases, up 334.

Alberta’s total number of COVID-19 cases from the start of the pandemic is 137,137.

There have been 775 variant cases identified in the province, 41 new today.

There are 364 total new cases in the province today.

There are now 259 Albertans in hospital with COVID-19, 38 of which are in ICU, and 1,933 deaths.

The province completed 10,167 tests in the past 24 hours.

The provincial positivity rate is 4.0 per cent.

Alberta has delivered 317,574 doses of vaccine.

A rapid testing pilot program for schools experiencing outbreaks of COVID-19 will be launched as early next week.

A testing team will be set up at two schools in Calgary to screen asymptomatic students and staff. Testing will be offered again the next week and another follow-up may happen later.

“The pilot will evaluate the benefits of using these tests to reduce the risk of transmission in schools,” said Education Minister Adriana LaGrange. “We are hoping to learn if this type of testing would be an effective tool to manage outbreaks.”

LaGrange says Alberta is one of the first provinces to run such a trial on-site at schools.

Health Minister Tyler Shandro said rapid tests are being deployed in a variety of settings. Those include health-care sites, the oil and gas sector and workers in industries such as banking and transportation.

A total of 924,000 rapid tests will be deployed.

Hinshaw says rapid testing is useful in some settings. She said a negative test result doesn’t mean you do not have COVID-19, but a positive result is reason to get a swab test.

An outbreak is listed on the provincial website at the Valleyview long-term care facility in Medicine Hat. The outbreak was opened on Feb. 12. It’s the only local outbreak currently listed.

There are 6,886 cases in the South Zone. There are 438 active cases and 6,350 recovered. The death total in the zone is at 98.

An AHS spokesperson told CHAT News on Thursday that AHS South Zone currently has 31 COVID-19 positive individuals in hospital. There are 23 at Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge, with six of those in the ICU. Medicine Hat Regional Hospital has five inpatients, with none in the ICU. The Cardston Health Centre has three inpatients.

There are no local schools on either “Alert” or “Outbreak” status on the provincial reporting site.

An individual from Ross Glen School has tested positive for COVID-19. Some students and staff have been directed to quarantine for a specified period of time and all close contacts have been identified and are also in quarantine.

The website Support Our Students is tracking instances of cases in schools across the province.

Cypress County has totaled 146 cases – one active case and the rest recovered.

The County of Forty Mile has 119 total cases. There are two active cases, 115 recovered and there have been two deaths.

The MD of Taber has 341 total cases — four active cases, 331 recovered and there have been six deaths.

Special Areas No. 2 has 44 total cases – four active cases, 39 recovered and there has been one death.

Brooks has 1,364 total cases — three active cases and 1,347 are recovered. Brooks has recorded 14 deaths.

The County of Newell has a total of 161 cases — two active cases, 157 recovered and there have been two deaths.

The County of Warner has 163 total cases. There is one active case, 159 are recovered cases and there have been three deaths in the county.

The City of Lethbridge has a total of 2,408 cases. There are 335 active cases, 2,048 recovered and there have been 25 deaths. Lethbridge County has 559 cases, 16 active cases, 536 recovered and there have been seven deaths.

The figures on alberta.ca are “up-to-date as of end of day March 10, 2021.”

Read the full March 11 update from the province here.

Saskatchewan has a total of 30,193 cases, 1,395 considered active. There are 28,397 recovered cases and there have been 401 COVID-19 deaths in the province.

Saskatchewan has delivered 95,879 doses of vaccine.

by Chris Brown

Vaccine used in Alberta not linked to blood clot issue in Europe: Hinshaw

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