COVID-19 Live Updates: News on coronavirus in Calgary for Dec. 15

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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.

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What’s happening now

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Anti-COVID vaccine dad loses battle with ex-wife over whether to get their children inoculated

A Lethbridge dad who fed his children “vaccine misinformation” has lost his battle to prevent them from getting jabbed.

In a written ruling posted Wednesday, Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Johnna Kubik sided with the two children’s mother and said she could go ahead and get them inoculated.

The parents had joint decision-making for their kids, including decisions on their medical health, as part of their divorce agreement.

Kubik noted that until the pandemic both had ensured their children received all childhood immunizations and annual flu vaccinations.

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Alberta reports 456 new COVID-19 cases, Omicron case count now at 60

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Here are  updated COVID-19 numbers  released by Alberta Health Services this afternoon.

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Apple shuts down three stores in U.S., Canada after rise in COVID-19 cases

Apple Inc has temporarily closed three retail stores in Miami, Annapolis and Ottawa after a rise in COVID-19 cases and exposures among employees, the iPhone maker said on Wednesday.

Growing worries over the rapidly spreading Omicron coronavirus variant have derailed several companies’ plans for a return to normalcy.

Apple’s store closures come a day after the iPhone maker reinstated its policy requiring all customers at its stores in the U.S. to wear masks.

All the employees at the three stores will be tested before the stores are reopened, the company said.

Through the pandemic, Apple has closed some stores for short periods of time around the world as coronavirus-related lockdowns were brought in and lifted.

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COVID-19 cases are rising again in parts of Canada and the United States, with Canada’s government imploring its residents on Wednesday not to leave the country.

-Story by Reuters

Federal government advising against non-essential international travel

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The Canadian government is warning against any non-essential travel to deal with the rising threat of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

Liberal cabinet ministers announced Wednesday that Canadians should stay home for the holiday and travelling could not only expose them to the virus, but they would also be at risk of being stranded abroad.

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South Africa, U.K. hit new record-high case counts as Omicron spreads

The Omicron variant is quickly taking over the Delta variant in at least two countries, leading to record-high case counts.

South Africa reported a record number of new daily COVID-19 infections today in a fourth wave believed to be largely caused by the Omicron coronavirus variant.

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) reported 26,976 new cases in the past 24 hours, surpassing a peak of 26,485 in early July during a third wave driven by the then-dominant Delta strain.

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The NICD also reported another 54 COVID-19 related deaths and an additional 620 hospital admissions.

Meanwhile the United Kingdom recorded its most daily coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic today as a senior British health chief said there could be a “staggering” rise over the next few days.

A further 78,610 COVID-19 infections were reported, about 10,000 more than the previous high reported in January.

More than 10,000 cases of Omicron have been recorded, with at least 10 people hospitalized. One person has died after contracting the variant, which is set to become the dominant strain in London.

Alberta to make 500,000 rapid COVID test kits available for free

In a morning update, Premier Kenney said the province will make half a million rapid test kits available to the public for free, and increase the age range eligible for vaccine booster shots.

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The free antigen testing kits will be available for pickup at select AHS sites and private pharmacies starting on Friday. They will be handed out on a first-come, first-served basis. You may only pick up one kit of 5 tests every 14 days, plus one other kit for someone unable to get their own.

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Kenney also said starting today, anyone age 50 or older and all health care workers are now eligible for their vaccine booster shot. The previous age limit was 60 and above.

The province also altered restrictions around indoor social gathering. While the maximum number of people who can gather remains at 10, there is no longer a two-household cohort restriction, and the vaccination requirement has been removed. Youth and children under age 18 do not count towards this limit.

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The premier said we need to use every possible tool at our disposal to battle the spread of the new Omicron variant.

He said because of its extraordinarily high rate of transmission, Omicron could still overwhelm our health care system.

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Watch the press conference below.

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Flames outbreak hits 27 cases

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The Calgary Flames COVID-19 outbreak has now grown to 27 cases.

The team announced Wednesday morning that the latest round of test results had revealed 17 more positives. That includes leading scorer and star winger Johnny Gaudreau, starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom and head coach Darryl Sutter.

The Flames now have 16 players in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol, the most of any team at any time so far this season. Added to the list on Wednesday were Gaudreau and Markstrom, plus forwards Byron Froese, Trevor Lewis and Tyler Pitlick and defencemen Rasmus Andersson and Erik Gudbranson.

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PM urges caution before Christmas as government mulls Omicron measures

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says people will have to be careful as they finalize their Christmas plans this year, now that the highly transmissible Omicron variant is spreading through Canada.

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The warning comes the morning after Trudeau met with his provincial and territorial counterparts to discuss potential measures to dampen the impact of the new variant.

On the table were several options to limit international travel.

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Canada tries to tackle Omicron amid pandemic fatigue

Canadian provinces are trying to ramp up vaccination and hand out more rapid tests amid a rising wave of the coronavirus pandemic driven by the Omicron variant, but efforts to head off infections are complicated by public fatigue almost two years into the pandemic.

Case numbers are increasing as the country’s hospitals are still struggling to clear backlogs from months of postponed procedures. Many burnt-out staff are ill-equipped for another surge.

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Most people in Canada, like other wealthy countries, haven’t been infected with COVID-19. So if they lack vaccine protection they are especially vulnerable to Omicron, said Peter Jüni, director of Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table.

“What really worries me is that people are asleep at the steering wheel, internationally,” he said.

“They have wishful thinking it will be mild … This is not a realistic attitude.”

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Tuesday

Federal government considering new travel bans to limit spread of Omicron: sources

The Liberal government is considering a host of new border restrictions to curb the spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant, sources told the National Post.

A senior Liberal source said the government is considering all measures, including travel restrictions, but has not yet made a final decision.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was set to speak with the premiers Tuesday evening about the Omicron variant and what can be done to curb its rapid spread.

The rise in cases of Omicron is clearly worrying premiers, especially with Christmas just over a week away when many family gatherings will take place.

A source familiar with the Liberal discussions said the government is considering banning all foreign travellers from entering the country for non-essential reasons and putting in place an advisory banning non-essential international travel by Canadians.

The ban could include foreign travellers from the U.S., the source said.

Though no final decision had been made as of press time Tuesday evening, an announcement could come as early as tomorrow.

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Tuesday

Alberta COVID-19 update cancelled as premiers, prime minister hold meeting over Omicron spread ahead of the holidays

Alberta’s regularly scheduled Tuesday COVID-19 update was postponed as Premier Jason Kenney attended a phone call with the prime minister.

The update was originally scheduled to be held at 3:30 p.m. with Kenney being joined by Health Minister Jason Copping and chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw. It was first pushed back to 5 p.m. and then postponed with no new date or time given.

Kenney’s executive director of communications Brock Harrison stated on Twitter that the meeting was postponed due to a call with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other premiers from across Canada. It is widely believed that the call was being held to discuss the spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant and could include travel restrictions ahead of the holidays.

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Tuesday

Alberta reports 250 new COVID-19 cases, Omicron case count now at 50 in Alberta

Here are  updated COVID-19 numbers  released by Alberta Health Services this afternoon.

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Tuesday

Liberals to limit number of their MPs in Commons due to Omicron, say opposition can make own decisions

OTTAWA — The lightning spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant is prompting federal politicians to reconsider the wisdom of having several hundred MPs crammed together in the House of Commons.

Government House leader Mark Holland announced Tuesday that the Liberals will “greatly reduce” the number of their MPs in the chamber and intend to hold entirely virtual caucus meetings for the time being.

Liberals are following the advice of public health officials, who are warning Canadians that “now is not the time for mass gatherings and that smaller is better,” Holland said, noting that the experience in other countries suggests the Omicron variant is as much as eight times more contagious than the Delta variant.

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It’s particularly important to limit gatherings of MPs who “are coming from all areas in the country and will be returning to all areas of the country,” he added.

Holland met with his opposition counterparts to advise them of the Liberals’ decision but said it’s up to them to decide whether to follow suit.

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Tuesday

COVID-19 was ‘expensive,’ but Freeland says economy is improving in fiscal update

OTTAWA – Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland offered few new economic measures in the Liberals’ fiscal update Tuesday, portraying the Canadian economy instead as well on the way to a post-pandemic recovery.

Freeland delivered her speech in Parliament on Tuesday amid growing concerns about the Omicron variant of COVID-19, which appears to be spreading across the country. She said the government was budgeting $1.7 billion to buy more rapid tests and ship them out across the country to provinces.

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Freeland said that funding will buy 180 million tests and provinces should use the ones they have in storage now.

“There is not a shortage of rapid tests today in Canada, and we have a lot more coming. I really urge Canadians, use rapid tests, use boosters, wear your masks.”

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Tuesday

Norway introduces booze ban to slow oncoming Omicron wave

Norway’s government unveiled a return to tough containment measures as it grapples with record hospitalizations from a coronavirus outbreak that’s set to intensify.

A recent wave of infections of the delta variant is filling up hospitals, and an out-of-control spread of the omicron strain threatens to overwhelm the health system, prompting the government to unveil a swathe of containment measures.

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Norway will stop the sale of alcohol in restaurants and bars, bring back limits on schools and require people to work from home, the government said late on Monday. It will mandate face masks at indoor events, close amusement parks and expand quarantine rules to all suspected virus variants. Adults are advised to cancel sport and leisure activities, and limit social interaction to ease pressure on the health system.

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Tuesday

What is known about Omicron based on early data in South Africa

As each day passes, panic seems to be spreading about what the Omicron variant is going to mean. The head of Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory table has cautioned against “wishful thinking” that Omicron truly causes milder illness, Atlantic Canada has tightened restrictions to stop the variant’s spread and modellers in B.C. are predicting Omicron could cause the highest infection rates the province has seen by early January.

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But the first preliminary, real-word study out of South Africa offers optimism, mixed with prudent caution — yes, Omicron is highly contagious, but South Africa is seeing a flatter trajectory of hospital admissions compared to previous waves, “indicating likely lower severity,” investigators said Tuesday.

The insights are preliminary, based only on the first three weeks of the Omicron-driven wave in South Africa, and may change as the wave progresses, they stressed. But here is what they are reporting:

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Tuesday

Pfizer says COVID-19 pill near 90 per cent effective in final analysis

Pfizer Inc on Tuesday said final analysis of its antiviral COVID-19 pill still showed near 90% efficacy in preventing hospitalizations and deaths in high-risk patients, and recent lab data suggests the drug retains its effectiveness against the fast spreading Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

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The U.S. drugmaker last month said the oral medicine was around 89% effective in preventing hospitalizations or deaths when compared to placebo, based on interim results in around 1,200 people. The data disclosed on Tuesday includes an additional 1,000 people.

Nobody in the trial who received the Pfizer treatment died, compared with 12 deaths among placebo recipients.

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Tuesday

Omicron spread across Ontario takes experts by surprise with cases doubling every three days

The Omicron variant does not so much announce its presence as it smashes the door down.

That is the case in Ontario right now as communities, including Ottawa, cope with the sudden impact of spiking cases and community spread of Omicron.

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Just weeks after it was first identified in South Africa, the highly contagious variant of SARS-CoV-2 is spreading through the province with such speed that it has taken experts by surprise.

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Tuesday

Omicron could spike infections to highest numbers B.C. has seen

COVID-19’s Omicron variant is so transmissible, by early January, it could replicate to the highest infection rates British Columbia has seen during the pandemic, according to modelling experts.

B.C. had only identified 10 Omicron cases as of Friday, but a “skyrocketing rate of increase” in Ontario, the United Kingdom, Denmark and other European countries “does not portend well,” said UBC modelling expert Sarah Otto, just as socialization-starved British Columbians contemplate holiday gatherings.

In the U.K., the country recorded its first death from the variant Monday and Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised booster vaccines to everyone over 18 by the end of December in the face of a “tidal wave of Omicron coming.”

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