Alberta Premier Jason Kenney (Government of Alberta)

By Justin Goulet

Alberta on pace to administer more than 300,000 doses of COVID vaccine per week

Apr 12, 2021 | 12:13 PM

EDMONTON, AB – “We are in a race between the vaccine and the variants [and] right now, the variants are winning that race.”

That’s from Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, who provided an update on the province’s vaccine rollout Monday morning.

He said that the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is “hitting us hard” as cases continue to rise sharply in Alberta. On Sunday, April 11, 80 per cent of the total 1,183 new infections reported in the province that day were variants of concern.

Kenney noted the return to Step 1 of easing COVID-19 restrictions last week was necessary. He said the measures are designed to by the province enough time to get enough people vaccinated in order to return to “normal this summer”.

There is hope on the horizon though, with Kenney saying that Alberta is on pace to administer 300,000 doses per week.

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“I’m pleased to say that as of yesterday [Sunday], more than 850,000 doses have now been administered,” remarked the Premier.

“More doses mean catching up to this variant spread and once the vaccines beat the variants, we get our freedom back.”

In a few weeks, Kenney noted that almost a quarter of Albertans will have “some degree of immunity”, whether it be by immunization or from prior infection.

He stated that, “by the end of May, it’s expected to be almost half with that level of protection and by the end of June, we anticipate that about two-thirds and by mid-September, almost three-quarters of Albertans will have protective immunity.”

“We’re nearing the end of a long and tiring journey. It [vaccination] is our path to recovery and freedom. Right now, we’re in a transition period.”

Kenney provided a look at what Albertans could expect going forward as more and more residents get vaccinated.

TRANSITION PERIOD – around 22 per cent of population immunized

• Easing only possible if Path Forward metrics are met
• Limits on gatherings
• Strong health measures in place

STAGE 1 – around 48 per cent of population immunized

• Residents can potentially look forward to:
  • Higher capacity limits
  • Larger gatherings allowed
  • Some business rules remain
  • Masking and distancing rules remain
  • Isolation rules remain

STAGE 2 – around 64 per cent of population immunized

• Residents can potentially look forward to:
  • No restrictions
  • Fairs/festivals can proceed
  • Masking and distancing encouraged, not mandated
  • Isolation rules remain

STAGE 3 – around 72 per cent of population immunized

• Residents can potentially look forward to:
  • Full recovery
  • K-12 school measures depend on vaccine
  • No masking
  • No isolation

Kenney said that all of these potential changes rely on the supply of vaccines.

“Thankfully, it’s finally increasing,” he stated.

“In the last couple of weeks, Alberta has received more than half a million doses of vaccine and we expect to receive another quarter of a million this upcoming week.”

He remarked that Alberta, thanks to the increase in vaccine supply, is expanding the administration of vaccine appointments. The latest phase, Phase 2C, opened Monday morning, allowing 240,000 more health care workers to book their appointments.

Rapid flow-through vaccine clinics are currently operational in Lethbridge, Grande Prairie, Fort McMurray, Red Deer, and Medicine Hat. These types of clinics will also be operating in Calgary and Edmonton, as of Monday afternoon.

“Supported by hundreds of health care workers, both the Calgary and Edmonton clinics will be able to administer up to 1,000 doses per hour and 6,000 per day, in each of those two mega-clinics,” Kenney explained.

“In addition, we now have more than 1,300 pharmacies and 103 immunization sites administering the vaccine and more coming on board in the coming weeks. The province is now on pace to administer more than 300,000 life-saving vaccine shots per week.”

Kenney commented that the government’s long-term goal is to be able to administer upwards of 500,000 vaccine doses per week.

“All of this will depend on how many people come forward to get vaccinated.”

He said the province expects to receive over 119,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine every week until early June, when that should jump to more than 225,000 doses per week.

“We’ll also receive more shipments of Moderna vaccine and hope to get the first shipment of Johnson & Johnson vaccine by early May, though we’re still waiting for a specific date from the federal government. The benefit of that vaccine is that it’s a single-dose protocol.”

Kenney added that as of Monday, select participating pharmacies will be allowing walk-in bookings for eligible Albertans aged 55 to 64 for shots with the AstraZeneca vaccine in Edmonton and Calgary, rather than by just appointment.

The Premier maintained that by the end of June, all adults in Alberta will be offered a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, provided that those doses arrive as scheduled.

More on the province’s vaccine rollout is available here.

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