UPDATED
Albertans protest ending mandatory COVID-19 isolation, masking and testing changesEmily Mertz
VIDEO Albertans protest ending mandatory COVID-19 isolation, masking and testing changes
© Global News A rally at the Alberta legislature opposing the government's plans to lift COVID-19 isolation requirements, masking rules and change testing. July 30, 2021.
Medical professionals helped organize two rallies Friday at noon showing opposition to the Alberta government's plan to lift mandatory isolation rules, scale back contact tracing and COVID-19 testing.
Demonstrations took place at the McDougall Centre in Calgary and the Alberta legislature in Edmonton.
Read more: Alberta to adjust COVID-19 masking, isolation, testing rules over next month
"I'm just appalled with what the government is doing," Emily Devereux said.
"They're leaving so many people behind… Suddenly we don't have the power of data… We can't even make the call for ourselves.
"I live with my sister and she has two young children who are both under 12 and can't get vaccinated. So our household is still not safe and we're still going to have to live in somewhat isolation until who knows when
Edmonton protest over province’s decision to drop even more COVID-19 restrictions
On Wednesday, Alberta Health announced that effective July 29, close contacts will no longer be notified of exposure by contact tracers nor will they be legally required to isolate – although it still recommended.
Further measures will be eliminated Aug. 16: people who test positive for COVID-19 will not be mandated to isolate at that time, but it is still strongly recommended. Isolation hotels will also close as quarantine supports end.
Also on Aug. 16, provincial mandatory masking orders will be lifted. Some masking in acute care or continuing care facilities may still be required.
"No more masks on transit, isolation of positive COVID-19 cases come Aug. 16 in Alberta"
"I just maybe got enough courage to start doing a couple things and now that we're not going to have the power of testing or contact tracing and people can legally walk around -- even if they are able to get a COVID test -- and are positive," Devereux said.
"Suddenly, I can't have confidence in knowing that I can navigate the world again, which is really frustrating and scary."
Read more: Canada’s top doctors say Alberta’s COVID-19 plan could have ripple effects across the country
Albert Nobbs co-organized the rallies with Dr. Joe Vipond, an emergency room physician based in Calgary, and spoke in Edmonton about his frustration.
"I'm here on behalf of frankly, my fellow citizens, just due to our concerns over the government's recent decisions and the course that they've set for not only us; but for our students, our health-care systems, our education systems and all the institutions that will inevitably suffer if we go ahead with Aug. 16 and September after that," he said.
"I couldn't understand it," Nobbs said, referring to the announced changes.
"We're setting world precedent here, especially in the developed world, of just completely dropping our guard.
"We're exposing a whole demographic -- our children and the unvaccinated -- to Delta (variant). This thing will explore every corner of our province.
Read more: Amid pushback, Alberta health minister defends plan to ease COVID-19 isolation, masking, testing rules
"This isn't a risk that we should be taking," he said. "This isn't a risk we should be allowing them to take for us."
In Edmonton, all the demonstrators appeared to be wearing masks and most were spread out.
Video: Calgary E.R. doctor fears kids will pay for Alberta’s plan to drop most COVID-19 restrictions
"The reality is, what that's going to end up, is two things: we're not going to have transparency as to how the virus is ripping through communities, and pretty much anybody who's vulnerable is going to be infected," Vipond said at the rally in Calgary.
"And that's going to include some of the double-vaxxed, because the things we're learning about Delta is that you are not 100 per cent protected by the vaccine and that means people are going to be sick."
Read more: Alberta taking ‘risky gamble’ by ending COVID isolation: Canadian Paediatric Society
Video: Albertans protest ending mandatory COVID-19 isolation, masking and testing changes (Global News)
While some Albertans may not require ER or hospital care, there's still a risk for long COVID, Vipond said, even in those with mild symptoms.
"Basically, public health has decided not to value the health of the public."
Vipond stressed every child under 12 is vulnerable and questioned why Alberta is lifting all requirements when no other jurisdiction is doing the same.
"We're doing this two weeks before schools open for the fall. What is going on? This government has lost the moral authority to govern," Vipond said. "(Dr.) Deena Hinshaw has lost the moral authority to be our public health leader.
"We want resignations from Dr. Hinshaw, Premier Kenney, Minister Shandro and we want to negotiate a return to sane public health policy."
Effective Aug. 31, COVID-19 testing will no longer be available through assessment centres. It will be available in primary care settings including doctors’ offices or in acute care and hospital settings.
In a letter to the minister of health dated July 30, the Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Association said community physicians were not consulted about this testing change.
"This government has frequently, and without consultation, changed processes during the pandemic that impact community physicians. This is another example.
"Large system changes require collaboration within the system to review the risks, logistics and possible solutions to determine optimal decisions.
"Announcing system changes in news releases as the single source for community physicians to be informed is not acceptable for delivering seamless health services," the letter to the minister reads.
With one in four adults and all children under 12 still unvaccinated and variant spread, EZMSA said COVID-19 is still a risk and "removing supports is premature."
Read more: Canada facing the start of a Delta-driven 4th wave, top doctors warn
The group also said physicians' offices are not an appropriate location for testing.
"We must not expose other patients to COVID-19. Many patients in our offices are ineligible for vaccination or at risk of incomplete vaccine protection due to age or medical conditions.
"Our community physicians are backlogged, recovering from a larger workload due to the delay in care the pandemic has caused," wrote Dr. Cheryl Mack, vice president of EZMSA.
"It is premature to push such risk on to community offices that do not have the same level of capacity, support, and funding as assessment centres. The assessment centres must continue for the foreseeable future. Periodic reassessment that includes consultation with community physicians must be done before transitioning this service to the broader health system."
Video: Health Minister Tyler Shandro defends plan to drop most of Alberta’s COVID-19 rules
Health Minister Tyler Shandro was asked about pushback to the government's approach on Thursday.
“This is a plan that is based on the science and based on the data,” he said July 29.
“We know that people will continue to have that anxiety but this was work that was done by public health based on the science, based on the data.”
The changes are being made, in part, to better manage public health resources, Dr. Deena Hinshaw explained on Wednesday.
“COVID is not over… COVID will not be eliminated. We need to learn to live with it.
“COVID is not the only threat that we’re facing,” she said.
Video: How should Alberta parents of kids under 12 handle COVID-19 going forward?
Opposition NDP leader Rachel Notley said Friday's rallies were a demonstration of Albertans' concern and outrage with the government's latest pandemic decision.
"People are dumbfounded, they are shocked.
"Today, we heard from medical experts across the country, including Canada's top public health officer, warning against the reckless decision taken by this government with respect to abandoning all remaining COVID protocols," Notley said.
"We join with the folks here today to beg the government to reverse their decision and to maintain the practices that they have in place.
"Albertans have a right to know if cases are growing. They have a right to know how the government is dealing with that.
"And they have a right to know that people who are infected are not walking around making the problem worse."
In a statement, a spokesperson for the minister of health said Friday that science has guided the plans.
"Dr. Hinshaw's recommendations are informed by science, not politics," Brett Boyden said. "Attempts to sully her reputation by the leader of the Opposition and others are repugnant.
"Dr. Hinshaw deserves to be commended for her efforts to lead Alberta out of the pandemic and has the full support of Alberta's government."
Video: Canada may experience 4th COVID-19 wave driven by Delta variant: Dr. Tam
Theresa Tam, the country’s chief public health officer, urged people to continue isolating, get tested for COVID-19 and inform their close contacts even if it is no longer required.
“I firmly believe that quarantine and isolation can help prevent the spread of COVID-19, especially in light of the spread of the Delta variant,” she said Friday during a news briefing in Ottawa.
Vaccination rates in Alberta have begun to lag. About 75 per cent of those eligible have received at least one dose of vaccine and 64 per cent are fully immunized.
“The bottom line is get vaccinated. There’s still a ways to go in Alberta.”
EZMSA COVID Announcement by Emily Mertz on Scribd
Medical professionals helped organize two rallies Friday at noon showing opposition to the Alberta government's plan to lift mandatory isolation rules, scale back contact tracing and COVID-19 testing.
Demonstrations took place at the McDougall Centre in Calgary and the Alberta legislature in Edmonton.
Read more: Alberta to adjust COVID-19 masking, isolation, testing rules over next month
"I'm just appalled with what the government is doing," Emily Devereux said.
"They're leaving so many people behind… Suddenly we don't have the power of data… We can't even make the call for ourselves.
"I live with my sister and she has two young children who are both under 12 and can't get vaccinated. So our household is still not safe and we're still going to have to live in somewhat isolation until who knows when
Edmonton protest over province’s decision to drop even more COVID-19 restrictions
On Wednesday, Alberta Health announced that effective July 29, close contacts will no longer be notified of exposure by contact tracers nor will they be legally required to isolate – although it still recommended.
Further measures will be eliminated Aug. 16: people who test positive for COVID-19 will not be mandated to isolate at that time, but it is still strongly recommended. Isolation hotels will also close as quarantine supports end.
Also on Aug. 16, provincial mandatory masking orders will be lifted. Some masking in acute care or continuing care facilities may still be required.
"No more masks on transit, isolation of positive COVID-19 cases come Aug. 16 in Alberta"
"I just maybe got enough courage to start doing a couple things and now that we're not going to have the power of testing or contact tracing and people can legally walk around -- even if they are able to get a COVID test -- and are positive," Devereux said.
"Suddenly, I can't have confidence in knowing that I can navigate the world again, which is really frustrating and scary."
Read more: Canada’s top doctors say Alberta’s COVID-19 plan could have ripple effects across the country
Albert Nobbs co-organized the rallies with Dr. Joe Vipond, an emergency room physician based in Calgary, and spoke in Edmonton about his frustration.
"I'm here on behalf of frankly, my fellow citizens, just due to our concerns over the government's recent decisions and the course that they've set for not only us; but for our students, our health-care systems, our education systems and all the institutions that will inevitably suffer if we go ahead with Aug. 16 and September after that," he said.
"I couldn't understand it," Nobbs said, referring to the announced changes.
"We're setting world precedent here, especially in the developed world, of just completely dropping our guard.
"We're exposing a whole demographic -- our children and the unvaccinated -- to Delta (variant). This thing will explore every corner of our province.
Read more: Amid pushback, Alberta health minister defends plan to ease COVID-19 isolation, masking, testing rules
"This isn't a risk that we should be taking," he said. "This isn't a risk we should be allowing them to take for us."
In Edmonton, all the demonstrators appeared to be wearing masks and most were spread out.
Video: Calgary E.R. doctor fears kids will pay for Alberta’s plan to drop most COVID-19 restrictions
"The reality is, what that's going to end up, is two things: we're not going to have transparency as to how the virus is ripping through communities, and pretty much anybody who's vulnerable is going to be infected," Vipond said at the rally in Calgary.
"And that's going to include some of the double-vaxxed, because the things we're learning about Delta is that you are not 100 per cent protected by the vaccine and that means people are going to be sick."
Read more: Alberta taking ‘risky gamble’ by ending COVID isolation: Canadian Paediatric Society
Video: Albertans protest ending mandatory COVID-19 isolation, masking and testing changes (Global News)
While some Albertans may not require ER or hospital care, there's still a risk for long COVID, Vipond said, even in those with mild symptoms.
"Basically, public health has decided not to value the health of the public."
Vipond stressed every child under 12 is vulnerable and questioned why Alberta is lifting all requirements when no other jurisdiction is doing the same.
"We're doing this two weeks before schools open for the fall. What is going on? This government has lost the moral authority to govern," Vipond said. "(Dr.) Deena Hinshaw has lost the moral authority to be our public health leader.
"We want resignations from Dr. Hinshaw, Premier Kenney, Minister Shandro and we want to negotiate a return to sane public health policy."
Effective Aug. 31, COVID-19 testing will no longer be available through assessment centres. It will be available in primary care settings including doctors’ offices or in acute care and hospital settings.
In a letter to the minister of health dated July 30, the Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Association said community physicians were not consulted about this testing change.
"This government has frequently, and without consultation, changed processes during the pandemic that impact community physicians. This is another example.
"Large system changes require collaboration within the system to review the risks, logistics and possible solutions to determine optimal decisions.
"Announcing system changes in news releases as the single source for community physicians to be informed is not acceptable for delivering seamless health services," the letter to the minister reads.
With one in four adults and all children under 12 still unvaccinated and variant spread, EZMSA said COVID-19 is still a risk and "removing supports is premature."
Read more: Canada facing the start of a Delta-driven 4th wave, top doctors warn
The group also said physicians' offices are not an appropriate location for testing.
"We must not expose other patients to COVID-19. Many patients in our offices are ineligible for vaccination or at risk of incomplete vaccine protection due to age or medical conditions.
"Our community physicians are backlogged, recovering from a larger workload due to the delay in care the pandemic has caused," wrote Dr. Cheryl Mack, vice president of EZMSA.
"It is premature to push such risk on to community offices that do not have the same level of capacity, support, and funding as assessment centres. The assessment centres must continue for the foreseeable future. Periodic reassessment that includes consultation with community physicians must be done before transitioning this service to the broader health system."
Video: Health Minister Tyler Shandro defends plan to drop most of Alberta’s COVID-19 rules
Health Minister Tyler Shandro was asked about pushback to the government's approach on Thursday.
“This is a plan that is based on the science and based on the data,” he said July 29.
“We know that people will continue to have that anxiety but this was work that was done by public health based on the science, based on the data.”
The changes are being made, in part, to better manage public health resources, Dr. Deena Hinshaw explained on Wednesday.
“COVID is not over… COVID will not be eliminated. We need to learn to live with it.
“COVID is not the only threat that we’re facing,” she said.
Video: How should Alberta parents of kids under 12 handle COVID-19 going forward?
Opposition NDP leader Rachel Notley said Friday's rallies were a demonstration of Albertans' concern and outrage with the government's latest pandemic decision.
"People are dumbfounded, they are shocked.
"Today, we heard from medical experts across the country, including Canada's top public health officer, warning against the reckless decision taken by this government with respect to abandoning all remaining COVID protocols," Notley said.
"We join with the folks here today to beg the government to reverse their decision and to maintain the practices that they have in place.
"Albertans have a right to know if cases are growing. They have a right to know how the government is dealing with that.
"And they have a right to know that people who are infected are not walking around making the problem worse."
In a statement, a spokesperson for the minister of health said Friday that science has guided the plans.
"Dr. Hinshaw's recommendations are informed by science, not politics," Brett Boyden said. "Attempts to sully her reputation by the leader of the Opposition and others are repugnant.
"Dr. Hinshaw deserves to be commended for her efforts to lead Alberta out of the pandemic and has the full support of Alberta's government."
Video: Canada may experience 4th COVID-19 wave driven by Delta variant: Dr. Tam
Theresa Tam, the country’s chief public health officer, urged people to continue isolating, get tested for COVID-19 and inform their close contacts even if it is no longer required.
“I firmly believe that quarantine and isolation can help prevent the spread of COVID-19, especially in light of the spread of the Delta variant,” she said Friday during a news briefing in Ottawa.
Vaccination rates in Alberta have begun to lag. About 75 per cent of those eligible have received at least one dose of vaccine and 64 per cent are fully immunized.
“The bottom line is get vaccinated. There’s still a ways to go in Alberta.”
EZMSA COVID Announcement by Emily Mertz on Scribd
VIDEOAlberta parents concerned as province lifts COVID-19 protocols weeks before school resumes (msn.com)Duration: 02:06It's a decision some parents are baffled by: students in Alberta will head back to school with virtually no COVID-19 measures in place. Morgan Black reports. Global News
'They're putting our kids at risk': Albertans protest government's COVID-19 policy changes
About 200 people took to the Alberta legislature grounds Friday to protest the provincial government’s decision to end mandatory COVID-19 isolation and masking rules and scale back contact tracing and testing.
Sarah Bugden , Kellen Taniguchi
People of all ages wearing face masks, including members of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, attended the peaceful noon rally. A second demonstration, led by physician Joe Vipond, took place at the McDougall Centre in Calgary.
Albert Nobbs, the organizer of the Edmonton protest, said the rest of the world is looking at the province as an experiment and watching closely with curiosity and horror.
“Our administration is gambling the results of this situation for the sake of their own political interest, and it doesn’t make any sense,” said Nobbs. “They’re putting our kids at risk, they’re putting our system at risk, they’re putting our public servants at risk and we have to say no, this is not something we will allow you to do.”
Starting Aug. 16, Albertans who test positive for COVID-19 will no longer be legally required to isolate . As of Thursday, close contacts of COVID-19 cases were no longer required to quarantine.
Provincial contact tracers will no longer call close contacts, or do routine asymptomatic testing for close contacts. Masking will no longer be required in schools, but is recommended if there are outbreaks.
Provincial masking orders on transit, in taxis or ride sharing will expire on Aug. 16 as well.
Testing assessment centres close Aug. 31. After that, testing will only be at places like doctors’ offices for people with severe symptoms.
Alberta is the first province to take these steps. Health Minister Tyler Shandro defended the province’s plan on Thursday, the day after it was announced, saying it is based on science and data and calling it “the inevitable next step.”
Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, urged people to continue isolating, get tested for COVID-19 and inform their close contacts even if it is no longer required.
“I firmly believe that quarantine and isolation can help prevent the spread of COVID-19, especially in light of the spread of the Delta variant,” Tam said Friday during a news briefing in Ottawa.
In a letter to Shandro dated Friday, the Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Association said “removing supports is premature” since one-in-four adults and all children under 12 remain unvaccinated and the Delta variant — the dominant strain in Alberta — has been shown to reduce the efficiency of vaccines.
The letter also called on the government to keep assessment centres in place, saying that community physicians were not consulted but instead found out through the government’s news release.
“Our community physicians are backlogged, recovering from a larger workload due to the delay in care the pandemic has caused,” wrote Dr. Cheryl Mack, vice-president of the EZMSA.
Paul Boucher, president of the Alberta Medical Association, wrote a letter to members Friday, saying he, too, has shared concerns with Shandro, including the move to vaccinations in doctors’ offices and the metrics the province is focusing on.
“It appears that there is an over-reliance on hospitalizations and ICU admissions as the primary indicators. I am worried that this will lag too far behind spread of the virus in the community. By the time patients land in hospital or ICU, community care may be overrun,” Boucher wrote.
When it comes to vaccination rates per capita, the province continues to lag all others, with the exception of Saskatchewan. About 76 per cent of eligible Albertans have received at least one dose of vaccine and 65 per cent are fully immunized.
Chris Hubick was among the hundreds of protesters on the legislature grounds where he was seen donning a sign that said: “1.96 million still vulnerable #FireTheUCP,” referencing the fact that only 55 per cent of Alberta’s total population has been fully vaccinated.
With the Delta variant spreading throughout the province, Hubick said he isn’t as comfortable going out anymore and he encourages people to continue wearing masks to lower Alberta’s COVID-19 numbers.
“My wife and I have been held up for a year and a half now trying to be responsible and we’re looking forward to getting back out into the world,” he said. “Just from our own health perspective, we would prefer masking because it seems like such a little thing which has such a big safety impact.”
Tam pointed out that there are hundreds of thousands of unvaccinated people in Alberta, creating potential for large COVID-19 clusters and outbreaks.
“The bottom line is get vaccinated. There’s still a ways to go in Alberta.”
With files from The Canadian Press
About 200 people took to the Alberta legislature grounds Friday to protest the provincial government’s decision to end mandatory COVID-19 isolation and masking rules and scale back contact tracing and testing.
Provided by Edmonton Journal Wren Brayall, left, 4, and her sister Juliette Brayall, 7, joined approximately 200 people at a rally near the Alberta legislature on Friday, July 30, 2021, to protest the Alberta government's lifting of pandemic restrictions.
Sarah Bugden , Kellen Taniguchi
People of all ages wearing face masks, including members of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, attended the peaceful noon rally. A second demonstration, led by physician Joe Vipond, took place at the McDougall Centre in Calgary.
Albert Nobbs, the organizer of the Edmonton protest, said the rest of the world is looking at the province as an experiment and watching closely with curiosity and horror.
“Our administration is gambling the results of this situation for the sake of their own political interest, and it doesn’t make any sense,” said Nobbs. “They’re putting our kids at risk, they’re putting our system at risk, they’re putting our public servants at risk and we have to say no, this is not something we will allow you to do.”
Starting Aug. 16, Albertans who test positive for COVID-19 will no longer be legally required to isolate . As of Thursday, close contacts of COVID-19 cases were no longer required to quarantine.
Provincial contact tracers will no longer call close contacts, or do routine asymptomatic testing for close contacts. Masking will no longer be required in schools, but is recommended if there are outbreaks.
Provincial masking orders on transit, in taxis or ride sharing will expire on Aug. 16 as well.
Testing assessment centres close Aug. 31. After that, testing will only be at places like doctors’ offices for people with severe symptoms.
Alberta is the first province to take these steps. Health Minister Tyler Shandro defended the province’s plan on Thursday, the day after it was announced, saying it is based on science and data and calling it “the inevitable next step.”
Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, urged people to continue isolating, get tested for COVID-19 and inform their close contacts even if it is no longer required.
“I firmly believe that quarantine and isolation can help prevent the spread of COVID-19, especially in light of the spread of the Delta variant,” Tam said Friday during a news briefing in Ottawa.
In a letter to Shandro dated Friday, the Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Association said “removing supports is premature” since one-in-four adults and all children under 12 remain unvaccinated and the Delta variant — the dominant strain in Alberta — has been shown to reduce the efficiency of vaccines.
VIDEO
The letter also called on the government to keep assessment centres in place, saying that community physicians were not consulted but instead found out through the government’s news release.
“Our community physicians are backlogged, recovering from a larger workload due to the delay in care the pandemic has caused,” wrote Dr. Cheryl Mack, vice-president of the EZMSA.
Paul Boucher, president of the Alberta Medical Association, wrote a letter to members Friday, saying he, too, has shared concerns with Shandro, including the move to vaccinations in doctors’ offices and the metrics the province is focusing on.
“It appears that there is an over-reliance on hospitalizations and ICU admissions as the primary indicators. I am worried that this will lag too far behind spread of the virus in the community. By the time patients land in hospital or ICU, community care may be overrun,” Boucher wrote.
When it comes to vaccination rates per capita, the province continues to lag all others, with the exception of Saskatchewan. About 76 per cent of eligible Albertans have received at least one dose of vaccine and 65 per cent are fully immunized.
Chris Hubick was among the hundreds of protesters on the legislature grounds where he was seen donning a sign that said: “1.96 million still vulnerable #FireTheUCP,” referencing the fact that only 55 per cent of Alberta’s total population has been fully vaccinated.
With the Delta variant spreading throughout the province, Hubick said he isn’t as comfortable going out anymore and he encourages people to continue wearing masks to lower Alberta’s COVID-19 numbers.
“My wife and I have been held up for a year and a half now trying to be responsible and we’re looking forward to getting back out into the world,” he said. “Just from our own health perspective, we would prefer masking because it seems like such a little thing which has such a big safety impact.”
Tam pointed out that there are hundreds of thousands of unvaccinated people in Alberta, creating potential for large COVID-19 clusters and outbreaks.
“The bottom line is get vaccinated. There’s still a ways to go in Alberta.”
With files from The Canadian Press
© Larry Wong Approximately 200 people attended a rally near the Alberta legislature on Friday, July 30, 2021, to protest the Alberta government’s lifting of pandemic restrictions.
Removal of Alberta's remaining COVID-19 protocols sparks outrage among physicians
CBC/Radio-Canada
You will no longer be required to isolate if you test positive for COVID-19, but isolation will still be strongly recommended.
Isolation hotels and quarantine supports will no longer be available.
Testing will be available for symptomatic people only when needed to help direct patient care decisions.
After Aug. 31, testing for COVID-19 will be available only for patients whose symptoms are severe enough to need care in hospitals or physicians' clinics.
Masking won't be required in schools.
Masks will no longer be required on public transit and in most continuing care facilities.
Dr. Neeja Bakshi, who has worked on the COVID unit at Edmonton's Royal Alexandra Hospital through the pandemic, says she's worried the changes will have terrible results.
"The medical community is being completely gaslighted right now," she said. "The idea that in two weeks time we can just be done with this when we know we're not is so irresponsible."
CBC/Radio-Canada
© Google Meet/CBC Dr. Gabriel Fabreau, a general internal medicine physician in Calgary, said the removal of Alberta's remaining COVID-19 protocols increases the risk posed by the delta variant of the virus.
Many Alberta doctors are reacting with surprise and disappointment to the province's plan to relax its COVID-19 surveillance and management system despite an increase in case numbers, the positivity rate and R-value, and vaccination rates that are lagging behind other provinces.
As of Thursday, quarantine for close contacts became no longer mandatory but just recommended. Contact tracers will no longer notify close contacts, but they will continue to investigate cases in high-risk settings such as continuing care facilities. Asymptomatic testing will no longer be recommended.
On Aug. 16, a further scaling down of the rules is planned:
Many Alberta doctors are reacting with surprise and disappointment to the province's plan to relax its COVID-19 surveillance and management system despite an increase in case numbers, the positivity rate and R-value, and vaccination rates that are lagging behind other provinces.
As of Thursday, quarantine for close contacts became no longer mandatory but just recommended. Contact tracers will no longer notify close contacts, but they will continue to investigate cases in high-risk settings such as continuing care facilities. Asymptomatic testing will no longer be recommended.
On Aug. 16, a further scaling down of the rules is planned:
You will no longer be required to isolate if you test positive for COVID-19, but isolation will still be strongly recommended.
Isolation hotels and quarantine supports will no longer be available.
Testing will be available for symptomatic people only when needed to help direct patient care decisions.
After Aug. 31, testing for COVID-19 will be available only for patients whose symptoms are severe enough to need care in hospitals or physicians' clinics.
Masking won't be required in schools.
Masks will no longer be required on public transit and in most continuing care facilities.
Dr. Neeja Bakshi, who has worked on the COVID unit at Edmonton's Royal Alexandra Hospital through the pandemic, says she's worried the changes will have terrible results.
"The medical community is being completely gaslighted right now," she said. "The idea that in two weeks time we can just be done with this when we know we're not is so irresponsible."
Bakshi said she believes abandoning testing, isolating and contact tracing will lead to preventable deaths.
"Take all that away — if the first time we know you have COVID is when we're intubating you, that's a problem," she said
.
© CBC
Members of Alberta's medical community unhappy with the government's plan to relax COVID-19 measures demonstrate in Calgary at the McDougall Centre on Friday. There was also a protest at the Alberta Legislature in Edmonton.
Demonstrations in Calgary, Edmonton
Members of the medical community unhappy with the province's plan staged demonstrations at the Alberta Legislature in Edmonton and outside the provincial offices in Calgary's McDougall Centre at noon on Friday.
Speaking at the rally in Calgary, Dr. Joe Vipond, an ER physician and co-founder of the Masks4Canada advocacy group, called on Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical officer of health, to resign.
"Like everybody, I wanted to believe that Dr. Hinshaw had our best interests at heart," he said.
"But if you sign your name on a document that says I'm going to expose every Albertan, including all of our children, to unknown risks, I'm afraid she needs to resign. I don't know what else."
Vipond says the province is facing a moment of history and officials will have to answer for their decisions.
"The scary thing is, we haven't had a single public health officer resign in response to this. We haven't had a single MLA resign as a cause of this," he said, adding that he's come to believe there are "layers and layers and layers of badness" driving policy decisions.
"So all I can think of is we come out, we say that this is not right, you're not going to do this in my province."
Dr. Gabriel Fabreau, who also treats COVID-19 patients and teaches general internal medicine at the University of Calgary, said the more infectious delta variant is still a threat.
"Dismantling our testing or surveillance infrastructure and depending on hospitalizations as only indicators — that leaves us blind and defenceless," he said.
Fabreau said he expects the delta variant will rip through vulnerable communities.
"I'm worried," he said.
Fabreau said he's concerned that allowing the virus to spread unchecked could open the door to new variants.
"If we are the province that lets her rip, we are increasing the risk of the 'Alberta' variant. Do we really want that?"
Health minister said decision not political
Alberta Health Minister Tyler Shandro said he stands by the decision to scale back public health measures, which he noted was not politically driven but was put forward by Hinshaw.
"We have many different opinions in the medical community, and that's to be expected and that's encouraged," he said.
On Thursday, Dr. Daniel Gregson, an infectious disease specialist with the University of Calgary, said the government's decision to end mandated isolation is irresponsible.
"The message we're sending is that if you have an infection with COVID, or think you might have an infection with COVID, you can do whatever you want," he said. "I would not agree with that."
Gregson said a fourth wave is inevitable, primarily among young and healthy individuals.
"We are going to see a bump in our hospitalizations. The question is, how much?"
Dr. Howard Njoo, Canada's deputy public health officer, said that as rules change from one jurisdiction to another, provinces might need to consider taking steps to protect their own people.
"I think everyone is alive to the fact that there could be ... knock-on effects to the other provinces and territories — with travel within Canada, you know, with residents of one province going to another province. Obviously, in this case, we're looking at Alberta," he said.
"The other provinces and territories will need to do and recognize what in their context might be most appropriate for their residents and to protect ... their public health and health-care system within their own provinces."
Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer, said it's up to provinces to decide on their own health measures, but she still strongly encouraged people in Alberta who contract COVID-19 to self-isolate, even if it's not mandated by the province.
"I would ask that any individual who is diagnosed with COVID-19, or you think you may have it, please isolate, please get your test and inform your close contacts," she said.
Dr. Sarah Fortune, chair of the department of immunology and infectious diseases at Harvard University's T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston told CBC's Radio Active that she believes Alberta's plan is a good one.
"I think Alberta is taking reasonable steps in the face of having done a good job of bringing the viral numbers down and in the face of good vaccine coverage," she said.
"I don't think the people of Alberta, where you've achieved upwards of 70 per cent vaccine coverage, need to think that they're going to become the next Louisiana, where vaccine coverage is much lower."
Fortune cautioned that the global community is not out of the woods yet, however, and said the playing field can always shift as new, dangerous variants emerge.
But she said that since the long-running pandemic has exacted such a toll on society, it's important to take steps like those being carried out now in Alberta.
"In fact, it's very important for us as people to take advantage of your successes, the successes of your public health system, and live a little," Fortune said.
© Scott Neufeld/CBC Members of the medical community unhappy with the province's plan to scale down COVID-19 measures staged demonstrations at the Alberta Legislature in Edmonton, pictured here, and outside the provincial offices in Calgary's McDougall Centre at noon on Friday.
With files from Radio Active and the CBC's Jennifer Lee.
With files from Radio Active and the CBC's Jennifer Lee.
No comments:
Post a Comment