Alberta’s top doctor said she is in full support of the provincial reopening plan and took part in crafting the easing of restrictions.
Alberta's Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw, who was not present at the reopening plan press conference on Wednesday, missed the event because she had scheduled the day off to spend time with her children.
The doctor shared her thoughts on the reopening plan on Thursday and said she was involved in the development of it.
"I believe this plan is a prudent approach to reopening, with Stage 1 prioritizing the easing of low-risk outdoor activities, and only proceeding to the next stage as thresholds are met and the two-week window ends," Hinshaw said.
The provincial reopening plan has many factors, including overall community protection, post-infection immunity, second-dose vaccine uptake, and vaccine effectiveness, Hinshaw said, along with monitoring the spread of the virus in the province, and the health-system capacity.
“All of these are essential parts of safely reopening and keeping cases down so we can stay open for good. They are all accounted for in Alberta's open for summer plan,” Hinshaw said.
The top doctor said she recommended the plan account for the percentage of Albertans ages 12 and over who have been vaccinated, which is more strict than other jurisdictions' reopening plans, which only consider those over the age of 18.
Alberta’s first stage is more cautious than plans seen in other jurisdictions, such as British Columbia and Saskatchewan, and Hinshaw said her team looked at evidence from reopenings in other counties, such as Hungary and Israel, to inform how they would proceed.
“We also considered the fact that the public-health measures that have been needed over the past year are unprecedented in our lived experience and that they come with significant public-health impacts as well,” Hinshaw said.
They have used the measures to save lives and protect the health-care system, Hinshaw said, but the COVID-19 interventions and health restrictions have not been taken lightly.
"It is my opinion that we need to be as mindful of recovering from the impacts that the last year has had on Albertans' mental health, well-being and determinants of health, as we are of the direct impacts of COVID-19 infection,” Hinshaw said.
Alberta's Premier Jason Kenney announced on Wednesday a reopening plan that is tied to vaccination rates and hospitalizations, and if hospitalizations start to rise the reopening will be paused.
Because the reopening is tied to vaccination rates, Kenney said he has faced criticism of coercing Albertans into getting the vaccine, but the premier noted that vaccines are voluntary.
"But none of that changes the fundamental fact that the most powerful way that you can protect yourself, your family, your loved ones, friends and neighbours — and the most powerful thing that you can do to help protect our broader society and accelerate our return to normal — is to get the safe vaccine,” Kenney said.
The reopening plan is slated to start Friday, where worship services will be allowed to have up to 15 per cent of the fire-code capacity in the building. On Tuesday, further restrictions will lift, including allowing 10 people at outdoor gatherings and restaurant patios, barbershops, and nail salons reopening. Outdoor sports with up to 10 people will be allowed again.
Daily numbers
On Thursday another 513 new cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed with 9,000 tests run, for a positivity rate of 6.1 per cent. There are currently 538 Albertans in the hospital with COVID-19 and 150 require intensive care.
Another death has been reported to Alberta Health in the past 24 hours.
More than 2.5 million first and second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been given out in Alberta with very few adverse outcomes, Kenney said, adding that they are 99.99 per cent safe.
The province has another 556,000 bookings over the next 28 days for the vaccine and Kenney said over the next two weeks some 433,000 appointments have been made.
If the 433,000 Albertans show up to their appointments in the next two weeks, it will increase vaccination rates in the province by 12 per cent, and Alberta will meet the 70-per-cent threshold for reopening.
“But those folks need to show up and we need to keep driving for ever higher numbers for broader protection and that also will allow us to begin transitioning back more quickly to protective second doses,” Kenney said.
