Everything you need to know about COVID-19 in Alberta on Thursday, Jan. 7

The latest:

• Premier Jason Kenney suggests the widespread COVID-19 restrictions might have to stay in place given continued high infection numbers in Alberta.
• Alberta reported 25more deaths on Wednesdayand 1,123 new cases of COVID-19 in the province, with a total of 13,450active cases, increasingfrom 13,411reported Tuesday. This comes after weeks of slow decline, in part due to fewer tests being completed,from a peak of21,138 on Dec.13, the day after a raft ofnew provincial restrictionswent into effect.
• The positivity rate is seven per cent.
• Across the province, 911 patients are being treated in hospitals for the illness, including 141in ICU beds.
• Health Minister Tyler Shandro said Wednesday that an Alberta physician has died of COVID-19, the third known death of a health-care worker in the province.
• The premier andDr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical officer of health, will give an update at 4 p.m. on Thursday.
• More than 200 doctors have signed an open letter calling on the province to prioritize the vaccination of all health-care workers caring for patients in Alberta's dedicated COVID-19 wards.In the letter addressed to Health Minister Tyler Shandro on Wednesday, 219 physicians from across the province say Alberta's vaccination schedule has passed over critical workers on the front lines of Alberta's battle against the virus.
• The combination of new federal travel rules and aCalgary airport testing program means people taking advantage of that pilot project will now need three COVID-19 tests to arrive in Canada and exit quarantine early.
• Under the new federal rules, asof Thursday, anyone older than five entering Canada will be required to show proof of a negative test taken within 72 hours before the flightbefore being allowed to board the plane.

• The government is defending its COVID-19 vaccine rollout plan after calls for more transparency about itsprocess for distributing the shots.
• To date, the province has provided 30,033vaccinations.The health minister noted the next shipment of thePfizer vaccine was on the way, with 13,000 doses expected this week.
• Premier Jason Kenney'sgovernment faces continuedfire froma public outraged over the international travel through the holiday season of a UCP cabinet minister, MLAs and key staff despite months of warnings from his and various other levels of government for the public to avoid any non-essential travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday, Kenneyaccepted the resignations of Grande Prairie MLA Tracy Allard as minister of municipal affairs and Jamie Huckabay as his chief of staff, and demotedfive other UCP MLAs who travelled internationally over the holidays.Calgary-Klein MLA Jeremy Nixon was strippedof his position as parliamentary secretary for civil society. Red Deer-South MLA Jason Stephanwasremoved from Treasury Board.Three MLAs Calgary-Peigan'sTanya Fir, Tany Yao of Fort McMurray-Wood Buffaloand Lesser Slave Lake's Pat Rehn were removed from the legislature committees they sat on.
• Transportation MinisterRic McIver is also interim municipal affairs minister while Larry Kaumeyer, the current principal secretary, will serve as interim chief of staff to the premier.
• Two of Kenney's top ministers, Shandro and McIver,apologized on behalf of the government Tuesday and vowed that the party would strive to do better."There were over a million Albertans who voted for us because we campaigned on hard work and humility. And some folks from our team forgot about that last part," Shandro said.
• Students are set to return to in-person classes on Jan. 11, Education Minister Adriana LaGrange confirmed on Twitter on Monday.

• Here are more of thelatest Alberta COVID-19 stories:
  • Critics call on province for more transparency around Alberta's vaccination plan
  • All workers on COVID-19 wards need vaccine now, Alberta doctors tell health minister in open letter
  • Calgary mayor defends 2 staffers who travelled to Hawaii over the holidays
  • ANALYSIS |With pandemic travel scandal, Kenney faces conservative kryptonite: elitism
  • OPINION | Done with the political turkeys after the holidays, Jen Gerson writes
  • Mother angry over travel scandal after Make-A-Wish trip postponed for sick son
  • Alberta cabinet minister, premier's chief of staff resign over holiday travel, other MLAs demoted
  • Calgary expects to host World Cup ski, snowboard bubble in February, March

More detail on what you need to know today in Alberta

Albertans hoping to see COVID-19 restrictions lifted next week may need to temper their expectations, the premier signalled on Wednesday as he spokepublicly for the first time since Jan.1 andaddressed peoples' questions live on Facebook.

The current restrictions could be lifted on Jan. 12 at the earliest, but he said that would depend on the number of cases, hospitalizations and other indicators. And Kenney said the province isn't anywhere near that point.

He said Alberta still has some of worst per capita case numbers in the country with a positivity rate around seven per cent.He said hospitalization numbers are steady but they haven't dropped and at least 20 people a day are succumbing to the virus.

The premier also said additional measures will be announced Thursday as part of the plan for students to return to in-person classes next week, but cautioned thatthe province wouldn't reopen schools unless it issafe to do so. He said Alberta has experienced "relatively few" instances of in-school transmission of the virus.

Alberta reported 25more deaths on Wednesdayand 1,123 new cases of COVID-19 in the province, with a total of 13,450active cases,increasingfrom 13,411reported the day previous.

The positivity rate is seven per cent. There are 911 people in hospital, 141 in intensive care.

Amid calls for greater transparency in its vaccine rollout program, which some critics have said is too slow, Shandrodefended the province's distribution system. As of Wednesday, more than 30,000 people have been vaccinated.

Among those 25 fatalities was an Alberta physician, Health Minister Tyler Shandroannounced Thursday.The province said hewas a man in his 70s working in the Calgary zone but did not provide any further information.

"While this virus was not contracted at work, we know physicians are on the front lines every day, working hard to battle the physical and emotional toll of this pandemic," Shandro said in a release.

"Their expert care, deep compassion and tireless leadership is one of the finest examples of public service. This loss will be felt by all Albertans."

The first known death of a health-care worker in the province was Joe Marie (Jing) Parrenas Corral, a 61-year-old Calgary man worked as a health-care aide at Bethany Riverview, a long-term care centre specializing in caring for people with complex dementia. He died on Dec. 28.

The second health-care worker to die from the virus was a continuing care worker in her 50s who worked in the Edmonton zone.

More than 200 doctors have signed an open lettercalling on the province to prioritize the vaccination of all health-care workers caring for patients in Alberta's dedicated COVID-19 wards.

In the letter addressed to Health Minister Tyler Shandro on Wednesday, 219 physicians from across the province say Alberta's vaccination schedule has passed over critical workers on the front lines of Alberta's battle against the virus.

The physicians say all personnel employed in the specialized units including family physicians, medical internists, nurses, clerks and cleaning staff contend with the same risk and should be next in line for inoculation, the letter states.

The situation is urgent, the doctorssay. Ward staffare continuously exposed to the virus and despite the use of PPE some have already contracted COVID-19 from their patients.

"These are the unsung heroes of our battle against this virus," the letter says. "It is not only dumbfounding but is in fact demoralizing that these colleagues have not been recognized for the valuable contributions they make."

Health-care workers inCOVID-19 units are eligible for immunizationsduring Phase 1B of Alberta's vaccine schedule, which is slated to begin next month.

On Monday,Premier Jason Kenney accepted the resignationsof Grande Prairie MLA Tracy Allard as minister of municipal affairs and Jamie Huckabay as his chief of staff.

In a Facebook post, Kenney said he has also demoted five other UCP MLAs who travelled internationally over the holidays.

Calgary-Klein MLA Jeremy Nixon has been stripped from his position as parliamentary secretary for civil society. Red Deer-South MLA Jason Stephan has been removed from Treasury Board.

Three MLAs Calgary-Peigan'sTanya Fir, Tany Yao of Fort McMurray-Wood Buffaloand Lesser Slave Lake's Pat Rehn have been removed from the legislature committees they have sat on.

Albertans are right to be angry with the UCP, ministers say

4 years ago

Duration 3:11

Albertans are right to be angry at the UCP politicians and staff who travelled internationally over the holidays -- and apologies aren't enough, say Tyler Shandro and Ric McIver.

On Tuesday, two cabinet ministers said Albertans have every right to feel angry and betrayed by government officials who flouted restrictions andtravelled out of the country over the holiday season.

"I've been on the phone a great deal in the last several days, and I'm hearing from Albertans who are angry," said Ric McIver, who took over as municipal affairs minister about 30 minutes before Tuesday's news conference, replacing Tracy Allard,who resigned after it emerged she hadtravelledto Hawaii for a Christmas holiday.

Health Minister Tyler Shandro was also contrite.

"All I can say is this, I can say that we're sorry," Shandro said. "But I'm not asking for their forgiveness. I'm trying to make that very clear. I don't think we can ask for forgiveness at this time. What I'm asking from Albertans is patience.

"There were over a million Albertans who voted for us because we campaigned on hard work and humility. And some folks from our team forgot about that last part."

Several members of Calgary city council are not happy about the fact two members of the mayor's office went to Hawaii over the Christmas break. Mayor Naheed Nenshi revealed the trips on Tuesday.

His chief of staffDevery Corbinand an administrative assistant went on separate trips to Hawaii.

Nenshi said he was aware of the trips and all travel rules were followed by both staffers. In hindsight, he said he regrets he didn't tell them to avoid leaving the country.

However, he said he would not be sanctioning his staff members. He said they aren't elected officials and their employer is actually the City of Calgary. The mayor maintains that it is elected officials who must be held to a higher standard.

Coun. Jyoti Gondek took to Twitter to express her displeasure, writing that elected officials and their senior staff must lead by example.

"There must be more than an apology from the Office of the Mayor. Calgarians expect consequences."

The mayor and council for the Town of Slave Lake posted ascathing open letter Tuesdaydemanding the resignation of the region's United Conservative MLA Pat Rehn.

The letter says that Rehn, the MLA for Lesser Slave Lake since April 2019, doesn't live in the region, misses meetings and spends more time managing his business interests in Texas than working for his constituents in the northern Alberta riding.

"I am hoping Mr. Rehn recognizes he doesn't have the support of the people in this region and hasn't had it for a long time," Slave Lake Mayor Tyler Warman said in an interview with CBC.

"It doesn't appear he has any passion to do the job. So step aside, and let somebody do it that wants to and can do it."

The letter, signed by Warman and the other six members of Slave Lake council, lists several complaints about Rehn. It comes just days after Rehnconfirmed he had travelled to Mexico over the holidays.

An Alberta mother says she's outraged by various politicians and staff who decided to travel abroad over the holidays, while a dream trip to Hawaii for her terminally ill son had to be postponed.

Lia Lousier of Airdriesays nine-year-old Braeden is one of 100 people in the world to be diagnosed with a rare inherited connective tissue disease called Hajdu-Cheney syndrome.

Lousier said when she saw the second-wave of COVID-19 coming, the family postponed the trip, which was being arranged by theMake-A-Wish-Foundation.

"Seeing Tracy Allard going to Hawaii was just that final, last break for me, just unbelievable anger that she felt she had the right to do that and then for her to excuse it," said Lousier.

"I think of the sheer number of people that I know that have elderly parents or aging parents, or have family out of province did they want to spend Christmas alone? They sure didn't."

Students are set to return to in-person classes on Jan. 11, Education Minister Adriana LaGrange confirmed on Twitter on Monday.

That prospect has some experts saying it's too soon and could fuelfaster community spread of the virus.

Dr. Tehseen Ladha, a pediatrician with the University of Alberta, says the discovery of a new variant of COVID-19 that spreads more easily makes the situation more worrisome.

"It could spread like wildfire through schools which means it will be brought into many, many households in the province, and this could be a catastrophe," she said.

Click on the map below to zoom in or out on specific local geographic areas in Alberta and find out more about COVID-19 there:

Here isthedetailed regional breakdown of active cases as of Wednesday.

• Calgary zone:4,706, up from 4,545 reported on Tuesday(36,013 recovered).
• Edmonton zone: 5,673, down from 5,794(39,767 recovered).
• North zone: 1,317, up from 1,311(6,311recovered).
• South zone: 235, down from 257(4,830 recovered).
• Central zone: 1,418, down from 1,431(5,799recovered).
• Unknown: 83, up from 73(138recovered).

Find out which neighbourhoods or communities have the most cases, how hard people of different ages have been hit, the ages of people in hospital, how Alberta compares to other provinces and more in: Here are the latest COVID-19 statistics for Alberta and what they mean

• For the latest on what's happening in the rest of Canada and around the world on Sunday,see here.