Hinshaw on Sky Palace gathering: ‘All of us sometimes make mistakes’

She said whether or not a mistake was made comes down to the question of distancing and whether the group that included Kenney, Health Minister Tyler Shandro, Environment and Parks Minister and House Leader Jason Nixon was keeping two metres’ distance from each other at the Sky Palace gathering.

“It’s clear that that two metres is required in outdoor social gatherings,” Hinshaw said.

She said that without being there herself, she’s unable to say whether they were keeping two metres of distance between themselves.

She said her job is to make sure Albertans know the requirements.

“Those requirements are that in outdoor social gatherings two metres of distancing is maintained and if that’s not possible at all times, masks add an extra layer of protection,” chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said during Thursday’s COVID-19 update.

The premier and others have faced heavy criticism after photos surfaced.

She said recognizes there is frustration regarding what appears to be the case in the photos.

She said she is focused on her job, “which is to look at how we in Alberta can keep each other safe, which is following the rules in place right now.”

There are 65 active cases of COVID-19 in Medicine Hat on Thursday.

Medicine Hat now has had 1,232 total cases – the 65 active, 1,145 recovered and there have been 22 deaths.

There is one new case in the city today and 13 new recoveries.

The percentage of Hatters who have received at least one dose of vaccine is not immediately available. The rate on Wednesday was 54.7 per cent.

Across Alberta, there are 5,831 active cases, down 474 from Wednesday, and 220,357 recovered cases, up 765.

Alberta’s total cases from the start of the pandemic is 228,424.

There are 296 total new cases in the province today.

There are now 411 Albertans in hospital with COVID-19, 120 of which are in ICU, and 2,236 deaths.

The province completed 6,808 tests in the past 24 hours.

The positivity rate is about 4.6 per cent.

Alberta has administered 2,888,005 doses of vaccine at the latest update.

Sharing statistics to impress upon people the efficacy of vaccines, Hinshaw said 96 per cent of Alberta’s confirmed COVID-19 cases were in individuals who were either unvaccinated or within the two-week window from receiving their first dose, a time when their immunity was not built up.

She said that shows the power of the vaccine.

She also said data also shows the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are effective against the B.1.1.7 (U.K.) variant. People who have received one shot have about 73 per cent protection, and about 91 per cent protection after two shots.

Against the P.1 (Brazil) variant those vaccines are about 75 per cent effective after the first dose and 89 per cent effective after the second.

There are 367 active cases and 11,869 recovered in the South Zone. The death total in the zone is at 130.

An AHS spokesperson told CHAT News on Thursday AHS South Zone currently has 27 COVID-19 positive individuals in hospital. There are 16 at Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge, with three of those in the ICU. Medicine Hat Regional Hospital has 10 inpatients, with two of those in the ICU. The Cardston Health Centre has one inpatient.

The province-wide reproductive value from last week is 0.72. It is 0.71 in Calgary Zone, 0.73 in Edmonton Zone and 0.72 in the rest of Alberta. These figures are updated each Monday.

Crescent Heights High School, Monsignor McCoy High School, Crestwood School, Dr. Ken Sauer School and St. Francis Xavier School are on AHS Outbreak status.

Regionally, Brooks Composite High School and Eastbrook Elementary School in Brooks and Duchess School are on Outbreak status. Eagle Butte High School is on Alert status.

Schools remain on Outbreak and Alert status until there is no new confirmed case for 28 days.

Cypress County has totaled 295 cases – 23 active cases and the rest recovered. The latest vaccination rate for all ages is 45.2 per cent.

The County of Forty Mile has 156 total cases. There is one active case, 152 recovered and there have been three deaths. The latest vaccination rate for all ages is 26.3 per cent.

The MD of Taber has 570 total cases — eight active cases, 556 recovered and there have been six deaths. The latest vaccination rate for all ages is 32.7 per cent.

Special Areas No. 2 has 99 total cases – three active cases, 95 recovered and there has been one death.

Brooks has 1,493 total cases — 26 active cases and 1,452 are recovered. Brooks has recorded 15 deaths.

The County of Newell has a total of 235 cases — 22 active cases, 211 recovered and there have been two deaths. The latest vaccination rate for all ages is 42.3 per cent, including Brooks.

The County of Warner has 464 total cases. There are 30 active cases, 431 are recovered cases and there have been three deaths in the county. The latest vaccination rate for all ages is 40.5 per cent.

The City of Lethbridge has a total of 4,816 cases. There are 107 active cases, 4,671 recovered and there have been 38 deaths. Lethbridge County has 1,248 cases, 35 active cases, 1,201 recovered and there have been 12 deaths.

Not all the areas on the vaccination data map match the case count map.

The figures on alberta.ca are “up-to-date as of end of day June 2, 2021.”

Read the full June 3 update from the province here.

Saskatchewan has a total of 47,097 cases, 1,314 considered active. There are 45,240 recovered cases and there have been 543 COVID-19 deaths in the province.

Saskatchewan has delivered 754,830 doses of vaccine.

by Chris Brown

Hinshaw on Sky Palace gathering: ‘All of us sometimes make mistakes’

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