What you need to know about COVID-19 in Alberta on Friday, June 26

The latest:

• Alberta will soon begin testing forCOVID-19 at community pharmacies, says Health Minister Tyler Shandro.
• A Fort McMurray seniors'home is in lockdown after a resident tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday.
• Only twoof Calgary's eight outdoor pools will open this summer, officials say.
• The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) says the average price of a house in Calgary could drop by tens of thousands of dollars over the next two years in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The Alberta government has quietly halted the closure of 17 provincial parks and recreation sites this year because of COVID-19.
• Alberta reported 37 new cases of COVID-19 Friday, with no additional deaths.
• A total of 4,933 people have recovered from COVID-19 in the Calgary area, and 688 have recovered in the Edmonton area.

What you need to know today in Alberta:

Only twoof Calgary's eight outdoor pools will open this summer, officials say.Silver Springs and Highwoodpools will be operating with limited capacity. Officialssay the outdoor pools are not financially viable due to pandemic-related expenses and safety restrictions.

Participating community pharmacies will soon offer testing to peoplewithout symptoms and no known exposure to the coronavirus. It will start with 20 pharmacies, primarily in Edmonton and Calgary, and then expand.

Alberta reported 37 new cases of COVID-19 Friday, with no additional deaths.

In all, 154people have died of COVID-19 in Alberta.

As of Friday,there were 509 active cases in the province. More than 422,000tests had been completed.

The regional breakdown of cases on Friday afternoonwas:

• Edmonton zone: 241
• Calgary zone: 208
• North zone: 31
• South zone: 23
• Central zone: 3
• Unknown: 3

There are 37people in hospital, eight of them in intensive care.

What you need to know today in Canada:

The first wave of COVID-19 is subsiding in Canada, with daily case numbers and hospitalizations falling to rates not seen since the beginning of the pandemic. And experts say what's beenlearned could helpprevent a second wavealtogether.

The federal government is to launch a program today aimed at encouraging students to volunteer in the fight against COVID-19.

Respirologist on Alberta's planned serology tests and concerns about Toronto's reopening

4 years ago

Duration 8:35

Dr. Samir Gupta says Alberta's testing may help to understand how far the coronavirus spread but he's doubtful we've reached herd immunity.

WestJet has laid off 3,333 workersand is planning to consolidate and contract out much of its operations as the pandemic continues to sink the majority of demand for air travel.

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer, continues to recommend people stay two metres apart from others to curb COVID-19 as the economy reopens and countries like Britain relax their distancing rules.

As of 12:45p.m. ET on Friday, Canadahad 102,733confirmed and presumptive coronavirus cases. Provinces and territories listed 65,652of the cases as recovered or resolved. A CBC News tally of deaths based on provincial reports, regional health information and CBC's reporting stood at 8,552.

The coronavirus has sickened more than 8.6million people worldwide and killed at least 460,256,according todata compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Self-assessment and supports:

Alberta Health Services has an online self-assessment tool that you can use to determine if you have symptoms of COVID-19, but testing is open to anyone, even without symptoms.

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 10 days from the onset of symptoms.

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, available from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week.

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.