COCHRANE— Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announced Monday (Jan. 11) expanded vaccination eligibility in the province to include more health workers.
Effective immediately paramedics and emergency medical responders will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccines.
“We are ramping up our capacity to ensure no matter how many vaccines arrive in Alberta, there are people lined up ready to receive them and health-care workers ready to administer them," Kenney said. "Alberta is already a leader in the number of doses delivered, and we will continue ramping up our vaccination efforts for the benefit of all Albertans. Our main constraint is the available supply of vaccines.”
The Town of Cochrane reported 55 active cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday. To date, the town has identified 289 cases of the virus— A total of 233 people have recovered and one person has died.
In the last 24 hours, 638 new cases of COVID-19 have been identified in Alberta after the completion of 9,800 tests.
The provincial positivity rate sits at 6.1 per cent.
There are 811 people hospitalized due to COVID-19, including 130 in intensive care.
An additional 23 new COVID-related deaths were reported. To date, 1,307 Albertans have died.
As of Jan. 10, 46,791 doses of the vaccine have been administered in Alberta. The province has used approximately three-quarters of current stock.
Currently, an average of 3,800 doses a day of the vaccine is being administered, Kenney said, and the province is taking steps every day to expand distribution.
The province expects to complete the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination at all continuing care sites by the week of Jan. 18.
The province is working to increase its capacity to deliver vaccines to more than 50,000 doses per week by the end of January, Kenney said. He added they hope to reach 200,000 people per week by the end of March.
The timing for vaccinations of seniors over the age of 75 and First Nation and Métis community members over the age of 65 are expected to be released next week.
“We’re doing everything humanly possible to roll out these life-saving vaccines as quickly as they arrive,” Kenney said.
He added that by the end of the week on March 29, 677,000 doses of the vaccine are expected to be provided to Alberta by the Federal government. The roll out of the vaccine will be dependent on the number of vaccine doses received by the province.
“The bottom line is to start approaching anything like community immunity we need a whole lot more doses and we need them quickly,” Kenney said. “Our capacity to administer these vaccines will outstrip our projected supply.”
Currently, there are 13,917 active cases of COVID-19 in Alberta.
