New supports for businesses implementing proof of vaccine program

Premier Jason Kenney said eligible businesses will be able to use the funding “flexibly in the way that they see fit.”

He said an additional $1 million will be available for training to support the safety of workers when implementing the program.

As well, new legislation will be provided to protect businesses that implement the program or mandate vaccines for employees from legal challenges. The maximum fine for mistreating public-facing workers will also be raised from $2,000 to $4,000.

“The bottom line is this: Vaccines are essential to avoid a collapse in our health-care system and even more preventable deaths,” said Kenney.

Kenney said that by tomorrow 85 per cent of eligible Albertans will have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

The province is currently testing its app for reading QR code proof of vaccination and expects to release it next week.

Kenney also reminded people that the second wave began due to Thanksgiving gatherings last year.

“I plead with Albertans not to read into some recent encouraging data a license to ignore the public health guidelines and restrictions that are in place.”

There are 527 active cases of COVID-19 in Medicine Hat on Thursday.

Medicine Hat has had 4,117 total cases – the 527 active, 3,527 recovered and there have been 63 deaths, two new today.

There are 32 new cases in the city in the past 24 hours and 42 new recoveries.

An AHS spokesperson told CHAT News on Thursday that there are currently 124 COVID-19 positive inpatients in the South Zone with 27 of those in the ICU. There are 54 inpatients at Medicine Hat Regional Hospital with 11 in the ICU.

The same Alberta Health Services spokesperson told CHAT News on Monday that Medicine Hat Regional Hospital currently has 13 ICU beds, including 6 surge beds. There are 11 COVID-19 patients in ICU at this time.

In the entire South Zone, there are currently 36 ICU beds, including 19 additional ICU spaces. South Zone ICU is operating at 83 per cent capacity (including 26 COVID patients in ICU).

Chinook Regional Hospital has 52 with 16 in the ICU. Brooks Health Centre has seven inpatients; Cardston Health Centre has four; Bow Island Health Centre has three; Big Country Hospital, Crowsnest Pass Health Centre, Pincher Creek Heath Centre and Taber Health Centre have one each.

Provincially, there are 374 ICU beds open, including 201 surge spaces. There are 298 patients in ICU, the vast majority of whom are COVID positive. Provincially, ICU capacity (including additional surge beds) is at 80 per cent.

Among Hatters 12 and over, 81.2 per cent have received at least one dose of vaccine and 71.2 per cent are fully vaccinated.

70.5 per cent of all Hatters have received at least one dose of vaccine at the latest update and 61.8 per cent of Hatters are fully vaccinated.

There are 18,411 active cases in the province, down 501 from Wednesday, and 285,794 recovered cases in the province, up 1,745.

Alberta’s total cases from the start of the pandemic is 307,019.

There are 1,254 new cases in the province in the past 24 hours, 589 of which are variants of concern.

There are now 1,094 Albertans in hospital with COVID-19, 248 of which are in ICU, and 2,814 deaths.

The province completed 15,595 tests in the past 24 hours.

The positivity rate is about 8.0 per cent.

Alberta has administered 6,173,317 doses of vaccine at the latest update.

Minister of Jobs, Economy and Innovation Doug Schweitzer said the program that provides the $2,000 to businesses will be up and running in four to six weeks.

He also appealed to the “common sense of Albertans” when it comes to the increased fine for harassing frontline workers and said that behaviour is unacceptable.

“We want to send a strong signal that that type of behaviour will not be tolerated in Alberta. We don’t accept it, it’s not a part of our culture, we condemn it,” Schweitzer said.

The chief medical officer of health echoed the premier in encouraging vaccinations. Dr. Deena Hinshaw said the “vast majority” of deaths reported each day are in people who are not fully vaccinated.

Among new cases today, 68.3 per cent are unvaccinated, 6.5 per cent are partially vaccinated and 25.2 per cent are fully vaccinated.

Among current hospitalizations, 73.9 per cent are unvaccinated, 4.8 per cent are partially vaccinated and 21.4 per cent are fully vaccinated.

Province-wide, 84.8 per cent of Albertans 12 years old and up have received at least one dose of vaccine and 75.4 per cent are fully vaccinated.

Among Alberta’s total population, 72.1 per cent have received at least one dose of vaccine and 64.1 per cent are fully vaccinated.

The number of local outbreaks listed on AHS website has been rising across the city in the past weeks.

There are 2,050 active cases and 18,286 recovered in the South Zone. The death total in the zone is at 220.

The province-wide reproductive value for the week of Sept. 27-Oct. 3 is 0.92. It is 0.93 in Calgary Zone, 0.86 in Edmonton Zone and 0.94 in the rest of Alberta.

It’s updated every two weeks. At the last update from Sept. 13-19 the numbers were 1.04 in the province, 0.94 in Calgary Zone, 0.97 in Edmonton Zone and 1.15 in the rest of Alberta.

Cypress County has totaled 787 cases. There are 76 active cases, 705 recovered and six deaths. The latest one-dose vaccination rate for all ages is 62.1 per cent, the two-dose rate is 53.1.

The County of Forty Mile has 300 total cases. There are 66 active cases, 229 recovered and there have been five deaths. The latest one-dose vaccination rate for all ages is 36.7 per cent, the two-dose rate is 30.9.

The MD of Taber has 1,108 total cases — 157 active cases, 940 recovered and there have been 11 deaths. The latest one-dose vaccination rate for all ages is 43.9 per cent, the two-dose rate is 37.6.

Special Areas No. 2 has 220 total cases – 37 active cases, 181 recovered and there have been two deaths.

Brooks has 2,021 total cases — 164 active cases and 1,837 are recovered. Brooks has recorded 20 deaths.

The County of Newell has a total of 416 cases — 47 active cases, 364 recovered and there have been five deaths. The latest one-dose vaccination rate for all ages is 61.2 per cent, the two-dose rate is 51.4. The Newell numbers include the city of Brooks.

The County of Warner has 662 total cases. There are 65 active cases, 594 are recovered cases and there have been three deaths in the county. The latest one-dose vaccination rate for all ages is 55.6 per cent, the two-dose rate is 47.

The City of Lethbridge has a total of 6,359 cases. There are 462 active cases, 5,851 recovered and there have been 46 deaths. Lethbridge County has 1,740 cases, 166 active cases, 1,559 recovered and there have been 15 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 Oct. 6, 2021.”

Saskatchewan has a total of 70,457 cases, 4,564 considered active. There are 65,156 recovered cases and there have been 737 COVID-19 deaths in the province.

by Chris Brown

New supports for businesses implementing proof of vaccine program

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