With Stage 2 of the Alberta government's reopening plan going into effect on June 10, COVID-19 numbers continue to drop in Airdrie, which reported 55 active cases as of June 9.
Airdrie.ca publishes a daily update on the city's COVID-19 statistics, which states there have been 3,811 cases of the virus locally since the pandemic began. Since the pandemic began, 3,737 Airdronians have recovered from the virus and 19 deaths have been reported. One new death was reported on June 9.
In addition to the dropping number of cases, about 65 per cent of Airdrie and surrounding area residents – 40,522 people – have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccination as of June 8 end-of-day, according to the provincial government's interactive vaccine status map.
Like the city as a whole, Airdrie's schools continue to see a drop in COVID-19 infections. While 18 schools were listed on the provincial government's COVID-19 school status map at its peak in May, Airdrie is now reporting COVID-19 cases at eight local schools. Two schools are reporting outbreaks of 10 or more cases, fiv schools are reporting outbreaks of five to nine cases and one school is reporting two to four active cases.
Provincially, Alberta reported 178 new COVID-19 infections on June 9, from 5,501 completed tests. According to government stats, there are 3,810 active cases in Alberta at the moment, with 306 hospitalizations and 81 ICU admissions. The stats indicate 2,262 deaths from COVID-19 have been reported in Alberta since the pandemic began.
As for the vaccine rollout, 3,215,144 doses of COVID-19 vaccine had been administered in Alberta as of June 7, with 634,774 people fully immunized, having received both doses of a vaccine. In terms of percentages, 67.8 per cent of eligible Albertans have received a first dose, while 16.7 per cent are fully vaccinated with two doses.
With first-dose demand starting to decline, the government is speeding up its eligibility for second starts. According to a government press release, every Albertan who received their first shot of a COVID-19 vaccine in April is now able to book a second dose.
“We have made remarkable progress," said Premier Jason Kenney in the release. “Albertans have worked incredibly hard to crush the spike and get vaccinated against COVID-19. But we still have work to do. Albertans need to continue to sign up, show up and follow up for all first and second doses so we can finally put this pandemic behind us.”
Starting June 10, roughly 650,000 Albertans can start booking appointments through Alberta Health Services (AHS) and participating pharmacies and physician clinics.
Stage 2 of the government's relaunch plan also began June 10. Under this stage, outdoor social gatherings are allowed up to 20 people, wedding and funeral ceremonies and outdoor receptions are allowed to occur with up to 20 participants, restaurants may seat up to six people per table, indoors or outdoors, and dining parties are no longer restricted to the same household – though physical distancing still applies.
Retail businesses and places of worship are allowed to increase capacity to one-third of the fire code occupancy, while gyms and other indoor fitness facilities can open for solo and drop-in activities with three-metre distancing between participants.
Museums, theatres, libraries and art galleries can open, while post-secondary learning institutions can resume in-person classes.
Youth activities like day camps and play centres may resume, while indoor and outdoor youth and adults sports are also allowed to operate.
