Two groups with opposing views have a minor confrontation during a rally at McDougall Centre over the noon hour in downtown Calgary on Friday, July 30, 2021. Photo by Jim Wells/Postmedia
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About 125 people rallied in Calgary Friday against Albertas decision to end COVID-19 isolation requirements as Canadas top doctors raised concerns about the policy shift.
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The demonstration, led by Calgary emergency room physician Joe Vipond, took place outside the McDougall Centre in downtown Calgary.
Protesters wearing face-coverings held signs, including some reading Wild rose country is not wild virus country and We are not your medical experiment.
The rally was in response to the Alberta governments move to immediately remove isolation requirements for those who come in close contact with someone who has COVID-19, with isolation rules disappearing even for those who test positive for the virus on Aug. 16, despite surging daily case numbers.
Routine testing for those with symptoms of the novel coronavirus will also end by the end of August.
Dr. Joe Vipond speaks during a rally at McDougall Centre on Friday.Photo by Jim Wells/Postmedia
Were not going to have transparency as to how the virus is ripping through communities, and pretty much anyone whos vulnerable is going to be affected, Vipond said at the rally.
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Also speaking at the rally was Medeana Moussa with the Support Our Students advocacy group. She said Albertas public-health decisions will put parents in difficult positions as they decide whether to send their children back to in-person learning next month.
A lot of public schools have already removed and shifted their online learning, Moussa said.
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A handful of counter-protesters showed up at the rally, leading to a brief physical confrontation between the two parties.
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Also on Friday, Canadas top doctor said Albertas decisions surrounding isolation requirements could have ripple effects around the country.
Chief public health officer Theresa Tam urged people to continue isolating, getting tested for COVID-19 and informing their close contacts, even if it is no longer mandated.
She said the provinces immunization rates still need to increase. In Alberta, 75.8 per cent of eligible residents have had at least one shot of vaccine, and 65 per cent have had both required shots.
The bottom line is get vaccinated. Theres still a ways to go in Alberta, Tam said.
Canadas Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam.Photo by Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press/File
Dr. Howard Njoo, Canadas deputy chief public health officer, added an increase in infections among unvaccinated Albertans could spread throughout Canada as people travel.
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Meanwhile, the Ottawa-based Canadian Paediatric Society wrote an open letter to Albertas chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, urging her to reconsider lifting isolation and testing requirements.
Lifting these public-health measures prematurely is an unnecessary and risky gamble, the letter read.
Alberta Medical Association president Dr. Paul Boucher noted in an open letter to members that he had written to Health Minister Tyler Shandro with concerns over the changes.
Boucher said he agrees governments will have to move from a pandemic to an endemic response at some point, but he said he was alarmed by the pace at which these changes are happening.
He also cited concerns that testing for the virus will fall to local clinics, adding to the list of responsibilities physicians have.
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We are concerned about keeping Albertans safe while ensuring that community practices remain stable, Boucher said.
Alberta reported an additional 187 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday from about 8,300 tests, representing a 2.4 per cent positivity rate.
Active cases in Alberta rose to 1,655. The province currently leads Canada in both active cases per capita as well as the raw number of active cases.
Hospitalizations remained stable. There are now 90 Albertans in hospital with COVID-19, 19 of whom are in intensive-care units.
Three new deaths from the virus were reported, bringing the pandemics toll in Alberta to 2,328.
The province will next release COVID-19 data Tuesday, following the Heritage Day long weekend.
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Alberta Health Services announced Friday that Calgarys second-largest immunization site will close on Aug. 13, as operations wind down at the Genesis Centre. To date, the site has completed more than 140,000 immunizations, many for residents of the citys northeast. Friday also marked the last day for what was the citys biggest vaccine clinic, the downtown Telus Convention Centre.
The provincial health authority also confirmed it is changing the way it deals with confirmed cases of variants of concern.
Starting Thursday, Albertans will still be notified if they test positive for COVID-19, but they wont be alerted if lab processing determines the case is a variant. The province continues to screen all confirmed cases for variants.
With files from The Canadian Press, Dean Pilling and Jim Wells
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