The vaccine rollout was the main subject of the April 20, 2021 provincial COVID update, with the age of eligibility for AstraZeneca recently having been lowered to 40 earlier this week.

Premier Jason Kenney is encouraging all those eligible to book an appointment, as the supply is once again in question.

"We only have about 160,000 of AstraZeneca remaining right now and we don't know when our next shipment will come in. As you may have heard, the Indian government has temporarily banned export shipments, so once again we're being affected by vaccine nationalism. So if you're over the age of 40, I urge you to take advantage of this opportunity before the supply runs out."

He says those who have recieved a dose still need to remain cautious.

"As much as we'd like to believe that the jab gives us a superpower, please remember that it takes a couple of weeks for the vaccine to work its magic, and then we still have to get the second dose, when it's available, to get the full protective effect."

The waiting time for second doses, according to Dr. Deena Hinshaw, second doses will be offered once the vaccine supply allows, likely in late June.

She says vaccinations have already had a visible impact on the province's long-term care facilities.

"Comparing where we were on December 30th to April 18th, the number of active cases in long-term care facilities has decreased from 776 on December 30th to just 37 on the 18th."

Dr. Hinshaw reported 1,345 new cases, 618 of which are variants of concern.

Variants now make up around 57% of total active cases.

There are currently 18,481 active cases in Alberta.

476 Albertans are being treated in hospital, with 105 in intensive care.

With four additional deaths, the total has risen to 2048.

1,196,428 vaccine doses have been administered, 239,277 Albertans having recieved two doses.

 

Local Update

The province's geospatial data for municipalities shows the following number of active cases:

Town of Okotoks: 202
Town of High River: 73
Foothills County: 73
Vulcan County: 23
MD of Willow Creek: 48

 

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