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COVID-19 Update: 1,633 new cases | 2 deaths | More than 25,000 active cases in Alberta

Watch this page throughout the day for updates on COVID-19 in Calgary

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With news on COVID-19 happening rapidly, we’ve created this page to bring you our latest stories and information on the outbreak in and around Calgary.


What’s happening now

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My COVID Story: How have you been impacted by coronavirus?

Postmedia is looking to speak with people who may have been impacted by COVID-19 here in Alberta. Have you had an upcoming surgery postponed? Do you have a family member in the ICU, or have you recovered after spending time in the ICU? Have you changed your life for the better because of the pandemic? Send us an email at reply@calgaryherald.com to tell us your experience, or send us a message via this form.

Read our ongoing coverage of personal stories arising from the pandemic.



Broad vaccine eligibility, new restrictions coming to Alberta Monday

Live Life Pharmacy advertises COVID-19 vaccinations in Fairview on Sunday, May 9, 2021. On Monday vaccination eligibility opens to anyone born in 2009 or earlier.
Live Life Pharmacy advertises COVID-19 vaccinations in Fairview on Sunday, May 9, 2021. On Monday vaccination eligibility opens to anyone born in 2009 or earlier. Photo by Gavin Young/Postmedia

The vast majority of Albertans will become eligible to book and receive a COVID-19 vaccination starting Monday morning.

The widespread expansion comes as Alberta enters into another round of strict public health restrictions in a bid to stem a menacing third wave of novel coronavirus transmission, and as the province reports more than 1,600 new cases of the virus.

Starting 8 a.m. Monday, all Albertans born in 2009 and earlier will be able to book their shots, either through online booking at alberta.ca/vaccine, Health Link 811 or local pharmacies.

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The expansion will allow 18 more years of Albertans to access the COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of where they live or work, or whether they have underlying health conditions.

Daily case counts were down in Alberta Sunday, though the dip corresponded in a drop in testing numbers.

The province reported 1,633 new cases of COVID-19 Sunday from about 15,500 tests, representing a 10.5 per cent positivity rate.

Hospitalization rates saw a small uptick Sunday. There are currently 668 Albertans in hospital with COVID-19, including 155 in intensive-care units, up from 661 and 148 admissions Saturday, respectively.

The province’s toll from the pandemic now sits at 2,110.

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Calgary COVID-19 dissidents vow to resist court order

Police address Artur Pawlowski at his S.E. church who was holding a rally to stop the church shut downs and where told to go away in Calgary on Saturday, May 8, 2021.
Police address Artur Pawlowski at his S.E. church who was holding a rally to stop the church shut downs and where told to go away in Calgary on Saturday, May 8, 2021. Photo by Darren Makowichuk /Postmedia

Calgarians who have publicly resisted COVID-19 health restrictions say they won’t abide by a recent court order that’s led to a crackdown on violators.

On Saturday, city police arrested Artur Pawlowski and his brother Dawid following months of their alleged violating public health restrictions at their Calgary church.

That move, and the arrest of defiant restaurant owner Chris Scott in the hamlet of Mirror, Alberta came quickly in the wake of a court order granted to Alberta Health Services on Thursday targeting organizers of gatherings in breach of the health rules.

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But an organizer of almost weekly demonstrations that have attracted hundreds to Calgary’s downtown and other Alberta centres said Sunday that injunction won’t halt their rallies.

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Some Canadian universities say no to proof of COVID-19 vaccination

A portion of the University of Toronto campus is seen in a file photo from June 10, 2020.
A portion of the University of Toronto campus is seen in a file photo from June 10, 2020. Photo by Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press

A COVID-19 vaccine likely won’t be a requirement to return to the physical classroom at some universities in September, with several large schools saying they have no intention of mandating proof of immunization for students.

Though some schools remain undecided, the decisions from the University of British Columbia, University of Alberta and McGill University come as governments around the world work out how to handle so-called vaccine passports.

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Tokyo gives the world a taste of what the Olympics will be like during the pandemic

General view during the men’s 3000 metre Steeplechase final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Test Event in Tokyo, Japan on May 9, 2021.
General view during the men’s 3000 metre Steeplechase final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Test Event in Tokyo, Japan on May 9, 2021. Photo by Issei Kato /Reuters

The Tokyo Olympics went off without a hitch. That is, at least, at a test event at the city’s National Stadium in preparation for the main spectacle.

About 1,600 athletes, organizers and media got an early look Sunday at what the games will be like when they kick off on July 23. There was a full day of 100-meter heats, hammer throws and pole vaulting to make sure the Omega clocks, jumbo displays and robots on the field were working as they should.

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A key focus, however, was how such a large-scale event can be pulled safely off in the middle of a pandemic. Already delayed once, the Tokyo Olympics will be one of the most unusual in the 125-year history of the modern games. While international athletes will come this summer, overseas spectators will not. Hotel rooms will mostly be empty, while restaurants and department stores won’t get a boost from the usual flood of visitors.

“It’s important to have this simulation so that we are prepared for any circumstance,” Seiko Hashimoto, Japan’s Olympics chief, said at a briefing Friday.

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One inmate, two staff members test positive for COVID-19 at Edmonton Institution

Edmonton Institution is a federal maximum security facility.
Edmonton Institution is a federal maximum security facility. Photo by File photo /Postmedia

One inmate and two staff members at the Edmonton Institution have tested positive for COVID-19, Correctional Service Canada announced Saturday.

In a news release, Correctional Service Canada (CSC) said they are closely monitoring the situation and measures are in place to limit the spread of the virus at the men’s maximum security facility located in northeast Edmonton.

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‘An eye opening experience’: Edmonton soldier spends a week aiding staff at Opaskwayak Cree Nation care home

Onekenew Cree Nation Chief Christian Sinclair, left, receives a token of friendship from Master Warrant Officer Tim Steakhouse of 1 Field Ambulance following a smudging ceremony.
Onekenew Cree Nation Chief Christian Sinclair, left, receives a token of friendship from Master Warrant Officer Tim Steakhouse of 1 Field Ambulance following a smudging ceremony. Photo by supplied
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An Edmonton-based soldier says a November deployment to a COVID-19-ravaged seniors home in northern Manitoba was an “eye-opening” experience for his team.

Master Warrant Officer (MWO) Tim Stackhouse was part of a team sent from Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Edmonton to Opaskwayak Cree Nation near The Pas in Manitoba to provide support at the Rod McGillivary Memorial Care Home where all 28 residents contracted COVID-19. Stackhouse’s team, made up of nine medical technicians and three nurses, assisted the care home’s staff after several of them contracted the virus and needed to isolate.

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Panel combats vaccine hesitancy among Calgary Muslims

People walk into the COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the Telus Convention Centre on a cool morning, Thursday, April 22, 2021.
People walk into the COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the Telus Convention Centre on a cool morning, Thursday, April 22, 2021. Photo by Gavin Young/Postmedia

An online panel Saturday evening worked to encourage Calgary-area Muslims to get immunized against COVID-19.

A prominent local faith leader and an epidemiologist took part in the panel, called “I Don’t Trust the COVID Vaccine,” aiming to give Muslims details they need to make an informed decision on the vaccine while combating hesitancy and misinformation.

Calgary Imam Sheikh Fayaz Tilly said Muslims can receive a vaccine during the holy month of Ramadan without breaking fast. He added all ingredients in the vaccines are halal, meaning it is permissible in Islam faith.

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He said Muslims who take the vaccine aren’t betraying their trust in God, saying scripture indicates it’s not improper to take medication or vaccines to prevent sickness.

“It would be very negligent and foolish for people to say, I’m going to rely on God and he’s going to satiate my thirst or my hunger,” Tilly said.

“Tawakkul is putting your reliance in God, but only after using the means that have been given to us in this world.”

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Police hand out tickets to dozens leaving Alberta anti-lockdown protest

Supporters gather during a rally against measures taken by government and health authorities to curb the spread of COVID-19 at the Whistle Stop Cafe in Mirror, Alberta, on Saturday, May 8, 2021. The Whistle Stop was shut down by AHS for not following public health rules.
Supporters gather during a rally against measures taken by government and health authorities to curb the spread of COVID-19 at the Whistle Stop Cafe in Mirror, Alberta, on Saturday, May 8, 2021. The Whistle Stop was shut down by AHS for not following public health rules. Photo by Jason Franson /The Canadian Press

Mirror — RCMP ticketed protesters leaving an anti-lockdown rally outside a central Alberta cafe Saturday, after the establishment was closed by health officials earlier in the week.

Despite pouring rain and a pre-emptive court injunction, hundreds gathered outside the Whistle Stop Cafe in the hamlet of Mirror, 66 km northeast of Red Deer, for the Save Alberta Campout Protest.

Demonstrators were there to support cafe owner Chris Scott and challenge public health orders meant to curb the spread of COVID-19.

A spokesman for the RCMP said officers took the first three hours of the protest to educate demonstrators on COVID-19 regulations and notify them that they were contravening the injunction.

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“There was a decision at one point to start mounting enforcement,” said Cpl. Troy Savinkoff. “That was around 4 p.m.”

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India turns to ex-army medics as COVID-19 deaths surge, sparking calls for lockdown

In this picture taken on May 5, 2021, health workers wearing personal protective equipment suits attend to a COVID-19 patient inside the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Teerthanker Mahaveer University (TMU) hospital in Moradabad, India.
In this picture taken on May 5, 2021, health workers wearing personal protective equipment suits attend to a COVID-19 patient inside the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Teerthanker Mahaveer University (TMU) hospital in Moradabad, India. Photo by Prakash Singh /AFP via Getty Images

India will recruit hundreds of former army medics to support its overwhelmed healthcare system, the defense ministry said on Sunday, as the country grapples with record COVID-19 infections and deaths amid calls for a complete nationwide lockdown.

Some 400 medical officers are expected to serve on contract for a maximum of 11 months, the ministry said in a press release, adding that other defense doctors had also been contacted for online consultations.

COVID-19 cases and deaths have been hitting records every two or three days. Deaths rose by more than 4,000 for a second consecutive day on Sunday.

Many Indian states have imposed strict lockdowns over the past month while others have announced restrictions on public movement and shut down cinemas, restaurants, pubs and shopping malls.

But pressure is mounting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to announce a nationwide lockdown as it did during the first wave last year.

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Several provinces bring in new restrictions as high COVID-19 case numbers persist

People are seen enjoying the patio at The Living Room on 17th Ave. SW. Sunday, May 2, 2021.
People are seen enjoying the patio at The Living Room on 17th Ave. SW. Sunday, May 2, 2021. Photo by Brendan Miller/Postmedia

Alberta was also preparing to shut restaurant patios and to close personal wellness services such as hair salons and tattoo parlours on Sunday night as the final group of rules announced last week by Premier Jason Kenney were to come into effect.

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside a central Alberta cafe Saturday to protest the health measures, which included shifting schools to online learning, limiting gatherings and forcing workplaces with COVID-19 outbreaks to close.

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U.S. turning corner on pandemic, says White House COVID coordinator

White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients delivers remarks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 13, 2021.
White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients delivers remarks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 13, 2021. Photo by REUTERS/Tom Brenner

WASHINGTON — The United States is closer to getting the coronavirus pandemic under control and health officials are focused on the next challenge: getting more Americans vaccinated, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said on Sunday.

“I would say we are turning the corner,” Zients said in an interview with CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Zients said about 58% of American adults have received at least one coronavirus vaccine shot. The task now is to continue building confidence in vaccines and get enough Americans vaccinated to mitigate the spread of the virus and its variants, he said.

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Saturday

Alberta crosses 25,000 active cases threshold with 2,042 new cases

Alberta’s COVID-19 case counts continue to reach new heights, as the province reported Saturday it has exceeded 25,000 active infections for the first time in the pandemic.

The province reported 2,042 new cases of the novel coronavirus Saturday, catapulting it to 25,155 active cases, a new height for active infections that far exceeds peaks recorded during Alberta’s first and second waves of the virus.

During the first wave, Alberta’s active case counts topped out at less than 3,000. During the second wave’s height, there were just under 21,000 active cases in the province. Currently, about one in every 175 Albertans has an active, lab-confirmed case of COVID-19.

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Saturday

Calgary preacher Artur Pawlowski arrested and charged for defying public health orders

Police address Artur Pawlowski at his S.E. church who was holding a rally to stop the church shut downs and where told to go away in Calgary on Saturday, May 8, 2021.
Police address Artur Pawlowski at his S.E. church who was holding a rally to stop the church shut downs and where told to go away in Calgary on Saturday, May 8, 2021. Photo by Darren Makowichuk /Postmedia

Calgary police have arrested street preacher Artur Pawlowski after he failed to abide by public health orders again during a Saturday church service where dozens were congregating without masks and no regard for physical distancing.

His brother, Dawid Pawlowski, was also taken into custody.

Both have been charged with organizing an illegal in-person gathering, in addition to “requesting, inciting or inviting others” to join them, said the Calgary Police Service (CPS) in a statement.

Read more.


Saturday

Hoping to lure back tourists, Greece reopens beaches after lockdown

A man wearing a protective face mask disinfects a sunbed during the official reopening of beaches to the public, following the easing of measures against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Athens, Greece, May 8, 2021.
A man wearing a protective face mask disinfects a sunbed during the official reopening of beaches to the public, following the easing of measures against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Athens, Greece, May 8, 2021. Photo by COSTAS BALTAS /REUTERS

With widely spaced sun loungers and regular disinfections, Greece reopened its organized beaches on Saturday as the popular Mediterranean holiday destination eases COVID-19 curbs in preparation for the return of foreign visitors next week.

Tourism accounts for about a fifth of Greece’s economy and jobs, and – after the worst year on record for the industry last year – the country can ill afford another lost summer.

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“We’re pinning our hopes on tourism,” said Nikos Venieris, who manages a sandy beach in the seafront suburb of Alimos, just outside the capital, Athens, where social distancing measures will remain in place.

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Saturday

Vlad the vaccinator: Dracula’s castle lures visitors with COVID-19 jabs

Alexandru Priscu, Bran Castle’s marketing director, looks on during interview with Reuters reporter, in Brasov county, Romania, May 8, 2021. Inquam
Alexandru Priscu, Bran Castle’s marketing director, looks on during interview with Reuters reporter, in Brasov county, Romania, May 8, 2021. Inquam Photo by INQUAM PHOTOS /via REUTERS

Visitors to Dracula’s castle are more likely to find puncture marks in their arms than their necks this month, after medics set up a COVID-19 vaccination center at the Transylvanian attraction.

Doctors and nurses with fang stickers on their scrubs are offering free Pfizer shots to all-comers at 14th century Bran Castle, which is purported to be an inspiration for the vampire’s towering home in Bram Stoker’s novel “Dracula.”

Castle staff hope the service will bring more people to the site in Romania’s Carpathian mountains, where tourist numbers have plummeted since the start of the pandemic.

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Saturday

‘Why we survive’: B.C. boundary towns struggle without Albertans during pandemic

A view of downtown Fernie, B.C.
A view of downtown Fernie, B.C. Photo by Andrea Cox/Postmedia

Jennifer Coffman didn’t expect to get hit with a double whammy at her restaurant in the tiny community of Field just west of the Alberta-British Columbia boundary this year.

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Coffman has been running the Truffle Pigs Bistro and Lodge for the last 12 years.

Field, with a population of just under 200, sits along the Trans-Canada Highway, about 10 kilometres from the Alberta boundary, and relies pretty much on tourism.

COVID-19 seriously cut into international visits last year, so Coffman shut down for a couple of months. She expected things would improve this year. But things are tough again with closure of a nearby section of the Trans-Canada for construction this spring and fall, and Albertans being urged by the B.C. government not to travel to the province as the pandemic continues.

Read more.

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