Appointments are now being accepted for second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Premier Jason Kenney announced on Tuesday those who received their first shot in March or earlier can book an appointment immediately.
Those who received the vaccine in April can book a time starting on June 14, while those who got the shot in May can schedule a time beginning on June 28.
“This is yet another big milestone in our fight against COVID-19 and it takes us even closer to a post-pandemic world where we can get back to doing what we love and spending time with those we most care about,” said Kenney.
So far, just over 10 per cent of those 12 years and older in the province have been fully vaccinated.
This includes around 74 per cent of people 75 years and older.
Meanwhile, those who received the AstraZeneca vaccine will only have to wait eight weeks in-between shots.
They can either get the same dose or change over to Moderna or Pfizer.
“AstraZeneca remains a safe and highly effective option,” said Tyler Shandro, Alberta’s Health Minister. “That being said, we recognize that some Albertans who received AstraZeneca have concerns.”
This comes after multiple cases of blood clots potentially being linked to the vaccine.
Daily Update
Fort McMurray’s active total of COVID-19 cases is seeing another big drop.
The province also announced on Tuesday 209 new cases over the past 24-hours.
There are currently 6,771 active cases across Alberta, while there have been a total of 227,718 positive tests.
There are also 438 Albertans in the hospital for the virus, 127 of which are in ICUs.
Locally, Fort McMurray added 11 new cases and 81 recoveries in the past 24 hours which lowers the active total to 423.
The rural areas added 10 new cases and three recoveries, with the total of active cases now sitting at 33.
In total, 6,381 individuals across the RMWB – 6,102 in Fort McMurray and 279 in the rural areas – have recovered.
They are among the 218,719 who’ve recovered across the province. This represents over 96 per cent of reported cases.
There was also one new death from COVID-19 in Alberta over the past 24 hours – raising the total to 2,228.
To date, nine individuals in Fort McMurray have died as a result of the virus.
Vaccination Update
Roughly 46 per cent of eligible residents in Fort McMurray and over 32 per cent in the rural areas have gotten at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Right now, those born in 2009 or earlier can book an appointment at MacDonald Island Park or participating healthcare facilities.
This is the current breakdown for who’s gotten the vaccine in Fort McMurray:
- 75+: 496 people (68 per cent)
- 60-74: 4,705 people (68 per cent)
- 40-59: 14,989 people (65 per cent)
- 20-39: 13,314 people (47 per cent)
- 12-19: 3,432 people (50 per cent) *previous provincial reports had the number around 60 per cent
This is the current breakdown for who’s gotten the vaccine in the rural areas:
- 75+: 61 people (58 per cent)
- 60-74: 278 people (54 per cent)
- 40-59: 544 people (46 per cent)
- 20-39: 324 people (27 per cent)
- 12-19: 110 people (23 per cent) *previous provincial reports had the number around 25 per cent
