What you need to know about COVID-19 in Alberta on Friday, Nov. 20

The latest:

• Alberta set another COVID-19 record on Friday with 1,155new cases of the illness, the most ever reported in a single day. It's only the third time Alberta has reported more than 1,000 cases in a single day. The first time that happened was less than a week ago, on Saturday, Nov. 14, when the province announced1,026 cases.
• By comparison,Ontario which has three times the population of Alberta reported1,418new cases onFriday. Quebec, which has twice the population of Alberta,reported1,259new cases.
• Alberta also reported11 more deaths, bringing the total to 462. There are 10,655 active cases, including 310people in hospital 58of whom are in intensive care.
• There are more than 4,200 cases each in Edmonton and Calgary alone.
• Pfizer said Friday it is asking U.S. regulators to allow emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine, starting the clock on a process that could bring limited first shots as early as next month.
• Alberta expects roughly 680,000 vaccine doses will arrive in early 2021.
• Alberta Health says the median time between identifying a positive case and notifying close contacts is between seven and 10 days.

• First Nations in Alberta are seeing the highest number of COVID-19cases compared with reserves in other parts of Canada.The latest data shows 860 cases since the pandemic hit the next closest is Manitoba with 710, according to Indigenous Services Canada.
• Alberta hospitals are tightening restrictions on visitors as thesecond wave ofinfections hits, withpatients in all hospitals nowlimited to one or twodesignated family or support people for their entire stay.
• Alberta Health Minister Tyler Shandro is defending the province's COVID-19 tracing app despite revelations it has tracked just 19cases since the spring.
• Shandro said Tuesday he is in favour of all resources that help in the fight against the pandemic, but reiterated the federal app isn't a good fit for Alberta.
• From last Friday to Nov. 27, in much of the province, the government suspended indoor group fitness programs, team sports andgroup performance activities, and reduced operating hours for restaurants, bars and pubs in much of the province.
• Canadians travelling to Hawaii this winter will be allowed to avoid quarantine so long as they show proof of a negative COVID-19 test, under new rules announced Thursday.

What you need to know today in Alberta

Alberta saw its deadliest day of the pandemic on Monday, with 20 more deaths. It also surpassed 10,000 active cases for the first time and reached new heights for hospitalizations.

On Friday, the province added 11 more deaths, bringing the total in the province to 462. There are now 10,655 active caseswith 310people in hospital, 58 of whom are in intensive care.

Pfizer said Friday it is asking U.S. regulators to allow emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine, starting the clock on a process that could bring limited first shots as early as next month and eventually an end to the pandemic but not until after a long, hard winter.

Should ongoing trials forCOVID-19 vaccine candidates continue successfully, Alberta expects it will receive around 686,000 doses early in the new year ofthe Pfizer vaccine and 221,000 of the Modernavaccine.

Speaking Friday at a press conference, Dr. DeenaHinshaw, the province's chief medical officer of health,said the situation in Alberta was "grim" and noted that two individuals in their 30s were among the deaths announced during this past week.

"Having a chronic medical condition is very common," she said. "These conditions include things like high blood pressure and diabetes. In Alberta, almost one quarter of all adults over the age of 20 have a chronic condition. That is almost 800,000 people."

Alberta's health minister is defending the province's COVID-19 tracing app despite revelations it has tracked just 19 cases since the spring.

Tyler Shandro said Tuesday he is in favour of all resources that help in the fight against the pandemic, but reiterated the federal app isn't a good fit for Alberta.

Alberta and British Columbia are the only provinces that have not signed onto the federal app, COVID Alert, which has been downloaded well over five million times.

The Opposition accuses Shandro of refusing to adopt the federal app because of long-standing personal and political friction between United Conservative Premier Jason Kenney and Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

AHS says the number of "unknown sources" of transmission among active cases on Wednesday was 76 per cent. But Hinshaw has said we should not be looking at active cases for unknown source cases. Hinshawhas said older data sets are more accurate because they have had more time to contact trace those cases. The province ultimately can't identify the sources in almost one in three cases, she said.

As of Nov. 15, about 40 per cent of cases were linked to households or social gatherings or private events, she said. Another 10 per cent were linked to continuing care centres, four per cent to child care or K-12 schools, and three per cent to acute-care outbreaks.

Temporary new provincial restrictions kicked on Nov. 13. Until Nov. 27, indoor group fitness programs, team sports and group performance activities are suspended in Edmonton and surrounding areas, Calgary and its area, Grande Prairie, Lethbridge, Fort McMurray and Red Deer.

All restaurants, bars, lounges and pubs in Calgary and Edmonton and other areas underenhanced status(areaswith more than 50 active cases per 100,000 people)must stop liquor sales by 10 p.m.

Premier Jason KenneyurgedAlbertans in any area under enhanced measures to not to have social gatherings in their homes.

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Worksites in the province's oilsands aredealing with multiple outbreaks. As of Thursday morning, therewere six active outbreaks at oilsands sites, with 10 active cases tied to those outbreaks.

Over the course of the pandemic there have been roughly 258 cases of COVID-19 linked to oilsands work sites in Wood Buffalo, according to Alberta Health.

Canadians travelling to Hawaii this winter will be allowed to avoid quarantine so long as they show proof of a negative COVID-19 test, under new rules announced Thursday.

Air Canada and the Calgary-based WestJetmade the arrangements with Hawaii, which will come into effect in December.

David Ige, governor of the state, said Canada represents the second-largest international market for the islands.

Here isthe regional breakdown of active cases reported on Friday:

• Calgary zone: 4,272, up from 4,219 reported on Thursday.
• Edmonton zone: 4,520, up from 4,388.
• North zone: 651,downfrom 658.
• South zone: 569,upfrom 540.
• Central zone: 564, upfrom 508.
• Unknown: 79, up from 69.

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

What you need to know today in Canada:

Canada's COVID-19 case count as of 5:45 p.m.ET Friday stood at 320,200,with 52,228of those considered active cases.A CBC News tally of deaths based on provincial reports, regional health information and CBC's reporting stood at 11,313.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today urged Canadians to hunker down and follow public health rules to contain an alarming spike in COVID-19 cases, as new projections warn ofa possiblesurge in the caseload.

Speaking to journalists outside his residence at Rideau Cottage, Trudeau asked Canadians to resist the temptation to let their guard down after 10 months of making sacrifices.

"We are facing [a] winter that's going to drive people insidemore and more, and we're really at risk of seeing caseloads go up, and hospitals get overwhelmed, and more loved ones dying," he said.

British Columbiais bringing in wide-ranging new rules for controlling the spread of COVID-19, including mandatory masks in indoor public and retail spaces and restricting social gatherings to household members only for everyone across B.C.

The move came as the provincerecorded538 new cases and one additional deathon Thursday. There were6,929 active cases of the virus and 217 patients in hospital both record highs for the province.

Meanwhile, Ontario is expected to issuemore stringent restrictions for its COVID-19 hot spots Toronto, and Peel and York regionsas Premier Doug Ford says there are "difficult but necessary decisions to make."

At a press conference on Thursday, the premier didn't specify what those measures would be as they still needed to go before cabinet, saying onlythat they will have to be "tough" in the hardest-hit areas.

Ontario reported another 1,210 cases of COVID-19 and 28 more deaths on Thursday, with Toronto and Peel Region each seeing over 300 of those cases.

In Atlantic Canada,New Brunswickhasmovedthe Moncton health regionback to the stricter orange phasedue tothe growing number of cases in that region.

The province reported four new cases on Thursday. Meanwhile,Nova ScotiaandNewfoundland and Labradorboth reported one new case.

Quebecreported1,207 new cases and 34 more deathson Thursday,asPremier Franois Legaultproposeda "moral contract"with residents in order to facilitate some holiday cheer.

Legault saidresidents can have small gatherings with no more than 10 friends and family members around Christmas if theyvoluntarily quarantine themselvesfor a week beforeand after.

Manitobaintroducednew COVID-19 restrictionson Thursday that banpeople from having anyone inside their home who doesn't live there, with few exceptions, and businesses from selling non-essential items in stores.

The new measures were announced as the province reported475new cases, eight more deaths and arecord high of 263 in hospital.

Within weeks of the coronavirus pandemic being declared, one premier after another made tough promises to stop price gouging on essential products. Yet, CBC'sMarketplacehas learned that despite tens of thousands of reported complaints, little legal action has been taken across the country.

Marketplacereached out to all provinces and territories and was told consumer complaints to government only led to one business being charged. It's unclear how many, if any, charges were laid by local bylaw officers.

Self-assessment and supports:

With winter cold and influenza season approaching, Alberta Health Services will prioritize Albertans for testing who have symptoms, and those groups which are at higher risk of getting or spreading the virus.

General asymptomatictesting is currently unavailable for people with no known exposure to COVID-19.

Those who test positive will be asked to use the online COVID-19 contact tracing tool, so that their close contacts can be notified by text message.

The province says Albertans who have returned to Canada from other countries must self-isolate. Unless your situation is critical and requires a call to 911, Albertans are advised to call Health Link at 811 before visiting a physician, hospital or other health-care facility.

If you have symptoms, even mild, you are to self-isolate for at least 10 days from the onset of symptoms, until the symptoms have disappeared.

You can find Alberta Health Services' latest coronavirus updates here.

The province also operates a confidential mental health support line at 1-877-303-2642 and addiction help line at 1-866-332-2322, both available 24 hours a day.

Online resources are available for advice on handling stressful situations and ways to talk with children.

There is a 24-hour family violence information line at 310-1818 to get anonymous help in more than 170 languages, and Alberta's One Line for Sexual Violence is available at 1-866-403-8000, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.