By Chris Brown

'A crisis of the unvaccinated'

Alberta offering $100 incentive for people to get vaccinated; indoor mask mandate returns

Sep 3, 2021 | 12:14 PM

Telling unvaccinated Albertans that their choices are jeopardizing the health-care system, the province has introduced a monetary incentive to encourage vaccinations.

“We will pay you $100,” said Premier Jason Kenney. “Alberta will be the first province to offer a personal monetary incentive to step up and do the right thing. Anyone who gets a first or second dose will now be eligible to receive a $100 gift card.”

The pre-filled debit card will be available to people who get the vaccine between now and Oct. 14. The registration process will be available online on Sept. 13.

Kenney said the program will cost the province about $20 million.

He maintains vaccine passports will not be implemented in Alberta.

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Kenney and Health Minister Tyler Shandro both say these measures and the vaccination incentive are needed because of the 30 per cent of Albertans are not fully vaccinated. Alberta currently has the lowest vaccination rate in the country.

Shandro denied that bribing those who have chosen not to get vaccinated ignores those Albertans who have already rolled up their sleeve.

“I think that everybody wants us to be able to look at innovative ways to be able to increase our vaccination rates,” he said.

Asked about the message it sends to the 70 per cent of Albertans who have been vaccinated the premier said, “I wish we didn’t have to do this but this is not a time for moral judgments. This is a time to get people vaccinated.”

He said he’s much more concerned about protecting hospitals than any abstract message it sends.

“Alberta will be the first province to offer a personal monetary incentive to step up and do the right thing. Anyone who gets a first or second dose will now be eligible to receive a $100 gift card.” _{Premier Jason Kenney}

The province also introduced a slew of public health measures including mandatory masks in indoor spaces as of Sept. 4 at 8 a.m. This does not apply to schools and individual boards will be able to set their own policies.

Also announced were an alcohol curfew in pubs and restaurants and a strong recommendation to unvaccinated Albertans to limit indoor social gatherings to close contacts. Workplaces are also encouraged to continue to have staff work from home.

The fourth wave is being driven by the highly contagious Delta variant, which Kenney says was in decline when restrictions were lifted on July 1. He says it’s causing severe outcomes at much greater rates among the unvaccinated.

“This is essentially now a crisis of the unvaccinated,” said Kenney. “The overwhelming majority of severe cases outcomes that are putting pressure on our hospitals are occurring in unvaccinated patients.”

The premier says that since July 1, unvaccinated Albertans between the ages of 20 and 59 are at a 60-times higher risk of hospitalization than those who are vaccinated. He says 80 per cent of those hospitalized with COVID-19 and 91 per cent of those in ICU are unvaccinated.

“Please get vaccinated. These numbers say it better than anybody ever could,” Kenney said. “If you are unvaccinated it is urgent that you protect yourselves, our hospitals and our entire community by getting the benefit of this miracle of modern medicine as soon as possible.”

In one month active cases in Alberta have risen from 2,282 to 12,868 yesterday. In that same time, hospitalizations have risen from 97 to 487 and the number of people in ICU from 23 to 114.

In Medicine Hat today there are 553 active cases, up from 103 on Aug. 4. Medicine Hat Regional Hospital currently has 27 COVID in-patients, five in the ICU.

Chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw provided an update on provincial modelling and said full data on COVID-19 will be available around the usual 3:30 p.m. time.

Modelling shows ICU patients could peak at around 180 in the medium scenario and current trends show they could meet or exceed the currently projected high scenario at 290.

Non-ICU hospitalizations are currently trending toward the high scenario, with a potential peak of 700 in the next several weeks.

She also defended her recommendation earlier this summer to shift to an endemic approach. She said it was based on the data and analytics available at the time but the situation has changed since then.

AHS president and CEO Dr. Verna Yiu announced that surgeries and procedures are being postponed across all zones.

In the South Zone up to 30 per cent of scheduled surgeries, endoscopy and outpatient visits are being postponed.

AHS will maintain urgent and emergent procedures, as well as prioritized cancer surgeries and is working to open and staff additional acute care and ICU beds across the province as quickly as possible.