Alberta, Canada: 2021/2022 Covid Cases

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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/deena-hinshaw-covid-alberta-1.5943765

Alberta reports 399 new cases of COVID-19 and two more deaths
Variants now make up nine per cent of all cases in Alberta, Dr. Deena Hinshaw says
CBC News ? Posted: Mar 10, 2021 11:14 AM MT | Last Updated: 28 minutes ago

The province reported 399 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday and two more deaths.

There were 254 people in hospital with the disease, including 37 in intensive care.

Alberta reported 47 new cases of variants of concern in Wednesday's case count, bringing the provincial total to 734 variant cases.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical officer of health, said variants now make up about nine per cent of active cases of COVID-19 in the province, a rise from three per cent in late January.

"In other jurisdictions, they have seen a much more rapid growth, the variants of concern as a proportion of all COVID cases going from three to four per cent to well over half of all cases in just six weeks," Hinshaw said.

"This means that our health measures ? both the overall restrictions as well as the targeted measures for variant cases ? are working to slow the growth, and if we continue to work together we can continue to limit the spread."

Wednesday's update was on the first day Albertans under 65 could begin booking COVID-19 immunizations.

Albertans born in 1957 and all First Nations, M?tis and Inuit people born in 1972 are now eligible to receive the Covishield/AstraZeneca vaccine...

 

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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/hinshaw-covid-vaccines-alberta-1.5945455

Alberta reports five more COVID-19 deaths, 364 new cases
Province announces AstraZeneca vaccine rollout will speed up starting Friday
CBC News ? Posted: Mar 11, 2021 12:17 PM MT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

Alberta reported five more COVID-19 deaths on Thursday and 364 new cases of the illness.

Across Alberta there were 4,488 active cases, with 259 patients being treated in hospital for COVID-19 including 38 in ICU beds.

About 10,200 tests were conducted over the past 24 hours, with a positivity rate of about four per cent.

Another 41 cases were identified of "variants of concern," bringing the total in the province so far to 775.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical officer of health, announced at a news conference on Thursday that the province will speed up rollout of the Covishield/AstraZeneca vaccine.

Starting 8 a.m. Friday, Albertans born in 1959 or 1960 will be added to the list of those who can book appointments.

That mean all Albertans born from 1957 to 1960 will be able to book immunization appointments using the AHS online booking tool or by calling Health Link at 811....

 

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Source: https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/alberta...ases-phase-2a-of-vaccinations-begins-monday-1.

Alberta reports 425 COVID-19 cases; Phase 2A of vaccinations begins Monday
Diego Romero
CTVNewsEdmonton.ca Digital Journalist
Published Friday, March 12, 2021 4:10PM MST

EDMONTON -- Alberta added more than 400 cases of COVID-19 on Friday.

The 425 new infections include nine variant cases, according to the government's data website.

The province has 4,546 active cases and 257 patients in hospital.

Alberta Health Services had administered 333,379 vaccine doses as of Thursday, and fully immunized 91,470 people.

PHASE 2A

Phase 2A of the vaccine rollout is slated to begin on Monday. It will include:

Albertans aged 65 to 74
First Nations, Metis and Inuit people born in 1971 or earlier
Staff and residents of licensed supportive living facilities who have not gotten the vaccine...

 

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bump this

 

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Source: https://globalnews.ca/news/7695213/alberta-covid-19-march-13/

Alberta reports 474 COVID-19 cases, 5 more deaths on Saturday
By Kaylen Small Global News
Posted March 13, 2021 6:03 pm

Alberta confirmed 474 new COVID-19 cases and five deaths from the disease on Saturday.

The province now has 4,594 active cases, 131,502 recoveries and 1,940 deaths.

As of Saturday, the Calgary zone has 1,695 active cases, the Edmonton zone has 1,147, the North zone has 791, the South zone has 499 and the Central zone has 451. There are 11 cases in unknown zones.

As of March 12, the province confirmed 70 new cases of the B.1.1.7 (U.K.) variant. There were no new B.1.351 (South African) variant cases confirmed over the past 24 hours. Alberta has a total of 854 cases of variant COVID-19 strains.

Alberta Health said 254 people were in hospital, with 35 of them in intensive care.

The 474 new cases came from 8,873 tests, equaling a provincial positivity rate of 4.8 per cent, according to Alberta Health...

 

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Source: https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/alberta-reports-first-2-cases-of-brazilian-variant-of-covid-19-1.5346942

Alberta reports first 2 cases of Brazilian variant of COVID-19
CTV News Edmonton
Published Sunday, March 14, 2021 3:56PM MDT

EDMONTON -- Alberta reported 388 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday and 66 variant cases, including the first two cases of the P.1 Brazilian variant to be reported in the province.

In addition to the two cases of the Brazilian variant, one more case of the B.1.351 South African variant was also confirmed, bringing the total number of confirmed cases of that variant in the province to 16. An additional 63 cases of the B.1.1.7 U.K. variant were also reported on Sunday.

Variant cases require a second screening of a positive test meaning the daily reported number is a mix of current and historical cases...

 

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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/vaccines-variants-hinshaw-conference-mar-15-1.5950370

Alberta reported 364 new cases of COVID-19, three new deaths
More than 660,000 Albertans will be eligible under Phase 2B
CBC News ? Posted: Mar 15, 2021 1:30 PM MT | Last Updated: 1 hour ago

Alberta's vaccination program is going into high gear, releasing detailed plans that will see almost one million people becoming eligible to be immunized in the next three weeks.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical officer of health, said the province has created an extensive list of underlying health problems, ranging from heart disease, cancer, severe obesity to Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and substance use disorders.

People who currently have, or who have had a history those ailments, will be prioritized under Phase 2B of the vaccine rollout, Hinshaw said.

Phase 2C will include health care professionals such as physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dentists and health support staff. As well, designated support persons for those living in continuing care will also become eligible, Hinshaw said.

"Together these phases represent a vast group of Albertans," Hinshaw said Monday.

"More than 660,000 Albertans will be eligible under Phase 2B and another 400,000 will be able to book in Phase 2C. That is roughly a million Albertans, and it will take some time to provide a vaccination to everyone who wants one."

The rollout of these two phases is expected to begin in April, she said.

Alberta reported 364 new cases of COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, along with three new deaths on Monday. Hinshaw said 65 new cases of variants of concern have been found.

The number of variants of concern shot up over the weekend, setting a single-day record on Saturday when the province reported 70 new cases of the B117 variant, first identified in the United Kingdom.

While that variant was limited to under 20 cases for a month after it was detected in Alberta back in late December, cases have increased four-fold in the past month to 902 as of Sunday.

Sunday also brought Alberta's first two reported cases of the P1 variant, first identified in Brazil.

Adding the B1351 variant first identified in South Africa, Alberta had identified a total of 920 cases of the three variants of concern as of Sunday.

Across the province, 248 people were being treated for COVID-19 in hospital Sunday, including 38 in intensive care. Active cases stood at 4,697...

 

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Source: https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/alberta...iant-cases-among-355-new-infections-1.5349338

Alberta reports 62 COVID-19 variant cases among 355 new infections
Diego Romero
CTVNewsEdmonton.ca Digital Journalist
Published Tuesday, March 16, 2021 11:20AM MDT Last Updated Tuesday, March 16, 2021 4:35PM MDT

EDMONTON -- Alberta is ramping up its vaccination efforts as COVID-19 variant cases are still rising.

On Tuesday, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw reported 355 new cases of the coronavirus, including 61 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant and one of the B.1.351 variant.

She said 509 of Alberta's 4,776 active cases, or 11 per cent, are of the variants of concern, and that Alberta Health Services is screening for them in every positive test...

"While we have prevented any significant spread in Alberta so far, the percentage of variants in our active cases is rising," Hinshaw said.

"Our aggressive screening, dedicated contact tracing and other measures have been buying time for the vaccines to work. In some ways, there is a race between the variants and the vaccines."

As of Monday, AHS had administered nearly 380,000 doses and fully immunized almost 92,000 people...

 

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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmo...-cases-of-covid-19-four-more-deaths-1.5953195

COVID-19 variant strain established in Alberta and spreading in all zones, Hinshaw says
'For the next couple of months, including spring break, we need to just hold on,' top doctor says
CBC News ? Posted: Mar 17, 2021 1:30 PM MT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

The B117 variant of COVID-19 is spreading across the province and Albertans need to continue following health restrictions to prevent a rapid increase in cases, Dr. Deena Hinshaw said at a news conference Wednesday.

Alberta's chief medical officer of health reported 535 of 4,918 active cases of the disease in the province are linked to the B117 strain first identified in the U.K.

"The B117 variant is spreading in many different contexts and many different settings," Hinshaw said. "And we're seeing higher attack rates than we typically do in settings where people are exposed.

"That variant has become established in the community," she said, adding that health officials are working hard to slow its spread "but it is spreading in all zones in our province."

Two other variants, those first detected in Brazil and South Africa, are found in small numbers in the province and are linked to travel, she said.

In light of the prevalence of the variant cases, Hinshaw recommends against traveling to other provinces during spring break.

"It's clear that in many other provinces, spread of COVID-19 and variant cases in particular are escalating," she said.

"Travelling at this time out of the province risks further escalating that kind of spread, particularly as we in Alberta are seeing spread of variant cases."

Alberta has yet to attain the vaccination coverage needed to prevent severe outcomes in variant cases, she said.

"For the next couple of months, including spring break, we need to just hold on and protect our communities with our choices."

To date, there have been 1,097 cases identified involving variants of concern. Of those, 548 people have recovered and 14 have died.
Latest case numbers

Alberta reported 479 new cases of COVID-19, 50 involving variants of the virus, and four more deaths on Wednesday.

Four people died from the disease over the last three days including a man in 80s and a man in his 70s in the Calgary zone, a man in his 40s in the south zone and and man in his 90s in the north zone...

 

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Source: https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/alberta-reports-91-variant-cases-among-505-covid-19-infections-1.5352555

Alberta reports 91 variant cases among 505 COVID-19 infections
Diego Romero
CTVNewsEdmonton.ca Digital Journalist
Published Thursday, March 18, 2021 10:41AM MDT Last Updated Thursday, March 18, 2021 4:13PM MDT

EDMONTON -- Dr. Deena Hinshaw reported 91 cases of the variants of concern on Thursday.

The chief medical officer of health reported 505 COVID-19 cases, the highest daily count since Feb. 4, and a positivity rate of 4.8 per cent.

Alberta has 5,084 active coronavirus infections and 264 people in hospital, 43 of whom are in ICU.

Variant cases make up 12 per cent of Alberta's active infections...

 

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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmo...s-of-covid-19-130-new-variant-cases-1.5957337

Alberta reports 696 new cases of COVID-19, 130 new variant cases
Province can consider moving to Step 3 of reopening Monday
CBC News ? Posted: Mar 19, 2021 4:20 PM MT | Last Updated: 13 minutes ago

Alberta reported 696 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday and identified another 130 cases of coronavirus variants.

It's been two months since the province last reported 700 new cases, while Friday's tally of variant cases is the highest yet recorded.

"This is a steep rise from yesterday's number of 505," David Shepherd, NDP health critic, said in news release Friday. "We have not seen a daily number like this for more than two months, since January 16.

"This is very worrying and I know many Albertans will be asking if this is an outlier or a signal of a third wave."

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical officer of health, said Thursday the trends are concerning. She said the next few weeks will be critical to prevent a third wave of COVID-19 in Alberta.

There are currently 5,429 active cases of COVID-19 in Alberta. Of those cases, 698, or 12.9 per cent, are highly infectious variants of concern.

"This dramatic growth of COVID-19 comes only days before Jason Kenney is scheduled to make a decision about Step 3 reopening," Shepherd said. "His language over this past week certainly suggests to me that he plans to proceed."

Premier Kenney said Thursday a final decision on moving forward has not been made.

Monday will mark three weeks since the province moved to Step 2 of the province's reopening plan and is the earliest date the government can move to Step 3...

 

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Source: https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/alberta-reports-more-than-550-covid-19-cases-1.5355707

Alberta reports more than 550 COVID-19 cases
Adam Lachacz
CTVNewsEdmonton.ca Digital Journalist
Published Saturday, March 20, 2021 4:01PM MDT Last Updated Saturday, March 20, 2021 6:52PM MDT

EDMONTON -- Alberta Health reported 556 COVID-19 cases on Saturday by Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta chief medical officer of health, on Twitter.

Hospitalizations and ICU admissions remained steady with 279 and 47, respectively.

On Friday, 264 Albertans were hospitalized with COVID-19 and 43 were in ICU.

An additional 99 ?variant of concern? cases were reported Saturday.

Four more deaths were reported, bringing Alberta?s total deaths to 1,961.

More than 9,900 tests were completed on March 19, translating to a positivity rate of 5.2 per cent ? a slight decrease from Thursday?s positivity rate of 5.8 per cent.

There are now 5,618 active cases in the province.

On Friday, 696 COVID-19 cases were reported ? representing the largest one-day increase since mid-January...

 

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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/555-covid-19-cases-alberta-1.5958551

555 new COVID-19 cases reported in Alberta, including highest single-day increase in variant cases
Monday will mark the first day Alberta can consider moving to Step 3 of its reopening plan
CBC News ? Posted: Mar 21, 2021 4:21 PM MT | Last Updated: 28 minutes ago

One day before the earliest time that the province can reconsider moving to the next step of its reopening plan, Alberta reported 555 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday.

Alberta also reported 184 new cases of COVID-19 variants, the highest single day increase in variant cases yet recorded in Alberta. All of these new variant cases were the B117 variant first identified in the U.K.

There are now 908 active COVID-19 variant cases in Alberta, making up 15.2 per cent of the 5,971 active cases across the province.

Two additional deaths as a result of COVID-19 were also reported on Sunday. According to the province, they include a man in his 90s whose death is linked to an outbreak at Rosedale Estates and a woman in her 60s whose death is linked to an outbreak at Churchill Manor, both in Edmonton.

On Monday, three weeks will have passed since Alberta moved to Step 2 of its reopening plan. This means it is the earliest date the government can move ahead to Step 3...

 

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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-covid-19-coronavirus-hinshaw-1.5959052

Alberta won't move to Step 3 of COVID-19 reopening plan, health minister says
'It's the smart move ... and it's absolutely necessary to help us avoid a third wave'
CBC News ? Posted: Mar 22, 2021 1:30 PM MT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

With hospitalizations on the rise, Alberta will not move to Step 3 of its reopening plan, the province's health minister announced on Monday.

Cabinet's COVID-19 committee met Monday and decided not to shift to the next step in a four-part plan to reopen the province, Tyler Shandro said at a news conference.

"When we announced the plan in January, we were clear," Shandro said. "Moving to Step 3 can be considered only when hospitalizations for COVID patients are under 300 and declining. Hospitalizations must be on a clear downward trajectory if we are to enter any new step, just like they were when we entered Step 1 and Step 2 earlier this year.

"Today, while hospitalizations are indeed below 300, they've risen in recent days. The decline that we saw in January and early February has stopped. Alberta now sits at 280 COVID hospitalizations, which is a rise of 16 from a week ago.

That number is a "warning sign" the province has to take seriously, Shandro said.

Based on transmission rates, the province expects to have 300 people in hospital within a week.

"And that's why we decided not to move to Step 3 of our path forward plan today," Shandro said.

"There will be no easing of any restrictions at this time. This is the safe move, it's the smart move to make for our province right now, and it's absolutely necessary to help us avoid a third wave that would take more lives and once again put more pressure on the hospital system."
Cases, positivity rate, variants rising

The province reported 456 new cases on Monday and five more deaths.

The Edmonton health zone has now lost 1,001 people since the pandemic began in March 2020. The Calgary zone recorded its 600th death on Monday.

Monday's update reported 6,176 active cases. The regional breakdown of those active cases was:

Calgary zone: 2,598
Edmonton zone: 1,407
North zone: 789
South zone: 780
Central zone: 585
Unknown: 17

Both active and daily cases are increasing, Shandro said, as is the positivity rate in all five of the health zones.

The province reported 110 new cases on Monday of a more contagious variant of the coronavirus first reported last year in the United Kingdom. Alberta has now confirmed 1,691 cases of that variant.

Variants now account for 16 per cent of Alberta's active cases, Shandro said, up from 10 per cent a couple of weeks ago...

 

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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-covid-coronavirus-march-23-1.5960218

...The latest COVID-19 numbers:

On Tuesday, Alberta reported 465 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the number of active cases in the province to 6,231.
Of the new cases, 197 involved the highly infectious variant strains of the virus, which now account for 18 per cent of all active cases of COVID-19 in Alberta.
The province reported Tuesday that 290 people are being treated in hospital for COVID-19, 53 in intensive care beds and that three more people have died.
To date, 1,908 cases involving variants of concern have been identified. Of those, 762 people have recovered while 19 have died.
Almost all variant cases are the strain first identified in the U.K. (B117), and 18 are the strain first identified in South Africa.
Alberta also reported two new cases of the variant strain first identified in Brazil, known as P.1. There are now four cases of that strain.
7,328 coronavirus tests were completed Monday with a positivity rate of about 6.6 per cent.
To date, 134,653 Albertans have recovered from COVID-19...

 

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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-covid-19-coronavirus-hinshaw-1.5962047

Alberta may need further restrictions to slow spread of variant cases, Hinshaw warns
Variants now make up about 19 per cent of all active cases
CBC News ? Posted: Mar 24, 2021 1:30 PM MT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Alberta reported a record 202 new cases on Wednesday of COVID-19 linked to highly contagious variants of the coronavirus, and the province's top public health doctor warned that additional restrictions may be necessary to slow the spread.

The province had 1,269 active cases linked to variants on Wednesday, accounting for 19.4 per cent of the total.

The spread of variants and increasing overall case numbers were among the reasons the government cited Monday when it announced the province will not proceed with Step 3 of its reopening plan.

 

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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/deena-hinshaw-covid-coronavirus-alberta-1.5963451

Alberta COVID-19 case numbers continue slow climb
Variant cases now make up more than 20 per cent of the total
CBC News ? Posted: Mar 25, 2021 1:30 PM MT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

Alberta reported 764 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday and another 191 illnesses linked to highly contagious variants of the coronavirus.

A total of 6,835 active cases were reported across the province, with 294 patients being treated in hospitals for the illness, including 55 in ICU beds.

Another three deaths were added to the toll, bringing the total to 1,976 since the pandemic began in March 2020.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the province's chief medical officer of health, gave her latest update on the pandemic at news conference.

Alberta has been contending with rising hospitalization numbers and a surge in cases linked to variants of concern ? trends that have delayed plans for further easing public health restrictions.

On Wednesday, Alberta reported a record 202 new cases of COVID-19 linked to highly contagious variants of the coronavirus.

With 1,269 active cases confirmed as variants, the more infectious strains now account for 19.4 per cent of the provincial total.

There is concern the variants will become the dominant strain and drive a third wave of infection. Hinshaw cautioned that additional restrictions may be necessary to slow the spread and ease the impact on hospitals...

 

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Source: https://globalnews.ca/news/7722338/alberta-covid-19-numbers-friday-march-26/

Alberta records 717 new COVID-19 cases Friday, including 325 variants
By Caley Ramsay Global News
Posted March 26, 2021 6:00 pm
Updated March 26, 2021 6:02 pm

Alberta recorded 717 new cases of COVID-19 Friday, 325 of which were variant cases of concern ? a new daily record for variant cases in the province.

Variants made up 23.4 per cent of active cases in Alberta as of Friday. So far, Alberta has identified 2,626 total variant cases.

Friday?s new cases came after about 13,300 tests were completed, putting the province?s positivity rate at 5.4 per cent...

 

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Source: https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/alberta...-represent-variant-of-concern-cases-1.5365199

Alberta reports 668 new COVID-19 cases, 24.5% of active cases represent variant of concern cases
Adam Lachacz
CTVNewsEdmonton.ca Digital Journalist
Published Saturday, March 27, 2021 3:58PM MDT

EDMONTON -- Another 668 new cases of COVID-19 and 207 variant of concern cases have been reported in Alberta Saturday.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the province?s chief medical officer of health, reported the cases over Twitter.

According to Hinshaw, 24.5 per cent of active cases in the province are variant of concern cases.

Over 11,500 tests were completed to bring Alberta?s positivity rate to 5.7 per cent. Saturday marked the sixth straight day the number has exceeded five per cent.

Alberta now has 283 people in hospital and 65 in ICU.

One additional death was reported on Saturday.

The Calgary zone continues to lead the province with 3,407 cases. The Edmonton zone has 1,624 cases, while the North and South zones have 830 and 805 cases respectively.

Over one-third of the province?s overall confirmed variant cases are in the Calgary zone.

136,350 Albertans have recovered from COVID-19...

 

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Source: https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/alberta...razeneca-vaccine-for-those-under-55-1.5366629

Alberta reports 545 new cases, suspends AstraZeneca vaccine for those under 55
CTV News Edmonton
Published Monday, March 29, 2021 11:02AM MDT Last Updated Monday, March 29, 2021 2:58PM MDT


EDMONTON -- Alberta joined other provinces Monday in pausing its use of the the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for those under the age of 55.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the province's chief medical officer of health, says the province "may still be able" to hit its end of June target to vaccinate every adult Albertan.

"This is a precautionary measure that is being taken across Canada," she said. "This pause will allow Health Canada to conduct further assessments and gather more information from around the world."

Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization has recommended that it not be given to people under the age of 55.

That comes after more reports that patients in Europe developed blood clots following vaccination with the AstraZeneca product.

Dr. Hinshaw says about 900 Albertans under the age of 55 have already had the shot. None had received a second dose.

"These individuals are not at high risk of blood clots," she said. "We are pausing to get more information."

The shot will continue to be given to those over the age of 55...