VOTE
JeffGOLKA Battle River Crowfoot
Approved by Official Agent
Wednesday, September 15, 2021 Vol. 44, No. 37
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YOUR LOCAL PAPER
COVID cases, ICU rates continue to soar Patricia Harcourt Editor
Cases of COVID-19 are once again on the rise in Beaver County, reflecting the uptick in the rest of the province following a summer of freedom from restrictions. The county had 63 active cases as of Tues., Sept. 14, with the numbers breaking up into 18 in Viking (Beaver County East) and 45 in Tofield (Beaver County West). Only two to three weeks ago, there was one active case in the east end of the county. Now a total of 11 deaths have been recorded in the western part of the county. The eastern area has only one death recorded that was from last year. The Municipal District of Wainwright’s active cases have also risen to 35 as of Sept. 14, with Flagstaff County recording 28 active cases and one new death. Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw no longer gives regu-
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lar updates, having abrogated on this duty after the province lifted health restrictions July 1, declaring Alberta “open for summer.” Hinshaw admitted in a virtual meeting with Primary Care Network doctors, of which Viking is a part, that the fourth wave was triggered by the lifting of restrictions which were interpreted by the public as permission not to practice any personal safety such as wearing masks in enclosed spaces or social distancing. The province has 18,265 active cases of the virus with 822 in hospital and 212 in intensive care. The cases in hospital are mainly people with no vaccinations at all. Some have one dose while others are fully vaccinated. Health officials say the reason these latter people are getting sick is because the unvaccinated are infecting those who have “done the right thing” and got their shots. The unvaccinated represent a majority of those in hospital and the ICU,
according to statistics released by the province. Broken down per 100,000 Albertans, of those currently in hospital, 41.7 are without any vaccine, 11.4 have had only their first dose, and only 6.8 are full vaccinated (an especially low rate if you consider they represent a majority of the population). Currently in the province, 79.4 per cent of people 12 years and older have at least one dose of vaccine, and 71.3 per cent have both doses. But Premier Jason Kenney pleaded last week with the unvaccinated or those with one dose to get their shots in arms as fast as possible to try and keep down the rise of this fourth wave. “For the love of God, get your shots,” he said. At that time, a province-wide mask mandate for use indoors was implemented along with a few other restrictions. It is also reported that Kenney and his COVID-19 cabinet committee was meeting Tuesday afternoon to discuss
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with Canada's Conservatives
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a rise in cases and what to do about it. Hinshaw said she gives this committee advice but it is not part of her job description to mandate or enforce health restrictions. Locally, however, vaccine uptick is not at a high level and has remained fairly stagnant for some time. It has been reported that vaccine hesitancy in rural areas is higher than in other parts of the province. In Viking and area, 61.1 per cent of people over 12 have had one dose of the vaccine, and 56.2 per cent are fully vaccinated. The Tofield area in the west end of the county has similar statistics but more cases of the virus: 57.6 per cent with one dose and 52.1 per cent fully vaccinated. The M.D. of Wainwright has 61 per cent of the population over 12 with one shot, and 54.9 per cent fully vaccinated. In Flagstaff County, the numbers rise to 70.6 per cent with one dose and 56.2 per cent fully vaccinated.