EDMONTON — Alberta added 500 new cases of COVID-19 for the third consecutive day and for the first time in nearly three months on Friday with 582 new infections.

The province reported 152 COVID-19 patients in hospital on Friday, down one from Thursday’s adjusted total of 153. Hospitalizations are up 65 per cent since the start of the month.

There are 37 Albertans receiving coronavirus care in ICUs, up one from Wednesday. Thrirty-seven is the highest ICU patient count since June 27.

The province has had over 100 COVID-19 patients in hospital every day since Aug. 3 and more than 20 patients in ICU since the start of the month.

Among eligible Albertans, 76.7 per cent have now received a first dose of vaccine and 67.5 per cent have had two doses.

The province reported a 6.17 per cent test positivity rate on about 9,300 tests. 

Active cases are now at 4,438, their highest mark since the first week of June.

Earlier Friday, the province announced it was delaying a series of policy changes around testing, masking and isolation for six weeks.

These policies were slated to end on Monday but will now remain in effect until Sept. 27: 

• Mandatory masking orders in publicly accessible transit, taxis and ride-shares
• Mandatory isolation for 10 days for those with COVID-19 symptoms or a positive test result
• Testing at assessment centres for any symptomatic individual

In justifying the reversal, Dr. Deena Hinshaw cited Alberta’s rising hospitalization and ICU counts as well as evidence from the United States where the Delta variant has sparked a rise in hospitalizations, including in younger children who had been less affected in prior waves. 

“It is important to take some additional time to monitor the situation,” she said. 

The province isn’t walking back all of the changes.

Contact tracing of close contacts of positive cases is not being reinstated.

And, those close contacts also remain recommended, but not required, to quarantine. 

Asymptomatic testing remains no longer recommended.

The next data update is scheduled for Monday afternoon.

EDMONTON — Amid rising hospitalizations and case counts, Alberta is backing down from its plans to abandon COVID-19 testing and eliminate isolation rules until late September.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the province’s chief medical officer of health, made the announcement Friday morning. 

“It is important to take some additional time to monitor the situation,” she said. 

These policies were slated to end on Monday but will now remain in effect until Sept. 27: 

• Mandatory masking orders in publicly accessible transit, taxis and ride-shares
• Mandatory isolation for 10 days for those with COVID-19 symptoms or a positive test result
• Testing at assessment centres for any symptomatic individual

Dr. Hinshaw cited rising hospitalization rates that had exceeded projections by more than 60 per cent.

The number of COVID-19 patients in Alberta hospitals has grown from 91 at the start of the month, up to 146 as of Thursday’s data report. 

The 36 Albertans reported Thursday to be getting COVID-19 care in intensive care units is the highest since June 27. 

Dr. Hinshaw also cited growing evidence about the Delta variant’s effect on children.

She stressed getting vaccinated remains “the number one most important thing” Albertans can do.

Not all previously announced changes to COVID-19 measures are being paused. 

The province does not intend to resume contact tracing of close contacts of postive cases.

Those close contacts also remain recommended, but not required, to quarantine.

Asymptomatic testing remains no longer recommended.

“It is still important for us to work towards a sustainable approach towards COVID-19 that considers the harms of interventions as well as the direct harms from COVID-19,” Dr. Hinshaw said. 

The proposed changes drew a strong backlash from the province’s medical community and sparked demonstrations in Calgary and Edmonton over the last two weeks. 

Opposition health critic David Shepherd called on Premier Jason Kenney to apologize to Albertans. 

“Testing, tracing, isolation are the most basic health measures, and Jason Kenney was ready to destroy those protections for his own political gain.”

Medical experts welcomed the news, but cautioned the government’s temporary reversal will do little to actually slow the spread of COVID-19.

That’s phenomenal news,” said Dr. Noel Gibney, co-chair of the Edmonton zone medical staff association pandemic response committee.

“I couldn’t imagine that they would be able to continue with the changes.”

Dr. Gibney warned that if case counts and hospitalizations continue to grow, further changes to public health measures could be required. 

“If we just let this run out without any sense of what’s happening … we will find ourselves in mid-to-late September with the hospitals being overrun.” 

EDMONTON — Edmonton’s mayor is frustrated that Alberta Health modelling being cited as one reason the province is considering ending isolation, contact tracing, and mandatory masking has not been released.

Mayor Don Iveson made the comments Thursday after an emergency advisory committee received a presentation Thursday about COVID-19 situation in Edmonton.

The committee heard from Dr. Michael Zachary, Alberta Health Services (AHS) medical officer of health, who said the provincial modelling has not been shared with him and other colleagues.

City administration said modelling has not been shared with them either.

Several councillors expressed frustration and concern at the meeting that data being presented by the province as showing Alberta could move from a pandemic to endemic response was not publically available, especially to aid policy decisions.

Last week, the province’s top doctor, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, said the decision to drop the pandemic response measures was made after her team reviewed data on age-specific outcomes related to COVID-19, vaccine effectiveness and modelling on the transmissibility of the Delta variant and related health outcomes.

“Our cases, with the data that we still have, show there is a rising trend,” Iveson said. “We would all like to see the modelling and understand what lies ahead.

“I share the frustration that I heard from a number of members of council about the fact that, that modelling has not been made public,” he added. “That vacuum fills itself with a lot of speculation which is not helping anybody make good decisions, including us.

“I think it would be helpful for that information to be made public. It is odd that AHS hasn’t seen that data.”

He said the province was creating an “awkward” position for AHS as it responds to the pandemic and helps inform municipalities on their policy positions.

“Our bias at the City of Edmonton is disclose and share and educate and talk through,” Iveson said.

“That would certainly be our default approach in a situation like that. But at the end of the day those decisions are up to other people.”

With files from The Canadian Press

EDMONTON — City council will discuss implementing an extension to the mandatory mask requirement on transit and ride shares in Edmonton that is set to expire next week.

Edmonton’s emergency advisory committee met Thursday where several councillors voiced the need for the city to implement its own mask mandate for transit and ride shares if the provincial requirements expire as originally planned on Monday.

In a presentation to the committee, city administration recommended not implementing a mask mandate for transit users since it has followed the direction of provincial health authorities throughout the pandemic and that other transit authorities in the capital region are not considering implementing their own mandates.

“Without a provincial context that sets a norm, it then requires us to play the part of an outlier in the region,” said acting city manager Catrin Owen.

“We’ve worked so hard to make everybody feel safe on transit,” Counc. Ben Henderson said. “That’s why I am a little bit puzzled by the recommendation you are making here today.

“I am not sure we are serving people by not allowing them to feel safe.”

Councillors Andrew Knack, Bev Esslinger, and Aaron Paquette expressed similar sentiments.

Counc. Scott McKeen was prepared to bring a motion mandating masks for ride share and transit users to the committee, however, city administration said it does not have the mandate to to set that policy.

The same presentation the committee received Thursday will be given to all of council on Monday in advance of a potential decision on masking.

In a media availability after the meeting, Mayor Don Iveson said that he believes there is “likely” enough support for a mask mandate extension to be voted through, but not unanimously.

“I am hearing from a lot of Edmontonians who would like to take a slightly more cautious approach until we can declare victory over COVID,” Iveson said.

“As to when exactly we would be able to declare that and feel very comfortable about removing mask requirements on things like public transit I hope that is within the coming months but there are factors well beyond the city’s control.”

City administration said a survey of some transit riders was completed in June indicating split results of people feeling in support or against mandatory masks. No surveys have been completed since, but the city is open to doing more, Owen said.

If the mandate is passed, the city would move from enforcing a provincial health order to a localized bylaw – the same place the city was at before the province-wide mask mandate was implemented.

Iveson said the bylaw would not extend to school buses – which are under the jurisdiction of school districts – but hopes school boards would make decisions to “protect” students and staff.

He added that the mandate would not be permanent but would likely be in effect until the new year or when vaccines for those under the age of 12 are approved.

EDMONTON — Soaring temperatures this summer have had Albertans cranking up the air conditioning, and power bill.

However, one Edmontonian noticed a significant price increase on her utility bill after just one month and chalked it up to extra energy use during the summer months.

“Holy crap, it doubled from the previous month,” Erin Drought recalled.

Drought said she thought the cost would eventually “balance out” as four adults were living in the home.

“We’re not people who hangout outside of our house,” she explained. “We’re always here, we’re streaming, we’re watching movies, listening to music and I thought it was that… until I looked at the rate.”

Drought told CTV News Edmonton she was on a variable rate not a fixed rate, so her bill went from $401.03 to $764.15 in one month, paying 18.05 per kWh.

“You think that when you’re on a variable rate it’s maybe going to be like two or three cents higher than what the fixed rate is,” Drought explained.

“So I thought, ‘Nine cents okay that’s fine, it’s pretty much what we were paying before,’ but yeah, it literally tripled what the current fixed rate is.”

The Alberta Utilities Commission, said electricity prices in the province are determined in an open and competitive market, meaning the price changes based on supply and demand.

Dale Nally, Alberta natural gas and electricity associate minister, says ordinarily the province would import power from B.C. 

“Due to lower water tables we’ve been unable to do so,” he said. “All of that has had the net effect of restricting supply at a time when demand has never been higher.” 

Drought said she always lived in apartments and didn’t ask for guidance on choosing a plan when buying a house.

“Utilities are not one of those things you talk about with your friends,” she said.

“You don’t say to your friends, ‘How much is your utility bill this month?’”

Eventually, Drought called EPCOR to get to the bottom of why the rate had jumped up so substantially and get on a fixed rate.

“The nice man kind of chuckled when I called and said, ‘I want to go on a fixed rate…’ and he said, ‘Yes, yes you do.’”

Chris Hunt, a utilities consumer advocate, told CTV News, picking a plan best suited for your needs can be overwhelming but there are resources available to help guide consumers to make the right choice.

To break down the charges listed on the bill, Hunt suggested contacting a mediation officer as they can look for administrative errors or additional transmission or distribution charges.

“Ask the questions and see what choices they can make to get their services for the best price possible,” he said.

Jim Wachowich, with the Consumers Coalition of Alberta Legal Counsel told CTV News, choosing a rate comes with its own set of associated risks.

“It’s a very complex market and it’s not one that easily lends itself to understanding by the average household customer,” he explained.

“You’re essentially buying a futures commodity for delivery to your home not knowing the price.”

Drought told CTV News she considered being more energy efficient to cut down the cost. But, at the end of the day she said “it doesn’t make a difference,” as she already has an energy efficient home.

For a list of regulated rate options in Alberta head to the Alberta Utilities Commission website. https://www.auc.ab.ca/pages/current-rates-electric.aspx

And for anyone in need of some extra assistance in picking a provider, the Utilities Consumer Advocate page has a cost comparison tool that lets consumers know what choices are available.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Amanda Anderson