RM of Wood Buffalo mayor talks to Kenney, says vaccine eligibility key to local COVID-19 crisis

Apr 27, 2021 | 8:27 AM

EDMONTON, AB – UPDATE: Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says his government is working with the region that includes Fort McMurray on soaring cases of COVID-19.

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo has declared a local state of emergency to deal with cases that have forced the local hospital to expand intensive-care-bed capacity.

Kenney says a key problem is that there is a lower uptake on existing vaccines in the area.

He says it could be the vaccines aren’t convenient enough or there is vaccine hesitancy.

Wood Buffalo Mayor Don Scott says the area has a young demographic and the problem is too few people are eligible for the shots.

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Wood Buffalo has more than 11-hundred active cases and all but a handful of them are directly in Fort McMurray.

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The mayor of the region that includes Fort McMurray says he has spoken with Premier Jason Kenney to find ways to fight a COVID-19 crisis that has brought on a state of local emergency.

Don Scott of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo is hoping for solutions, including vaccine availability, to address a pandemic that is putting area hospitals under pressure.

Scott noted that Fort McMurray, which is home to the oilsands, has many young workers and families, and he says one of the problems is that too few residents are qualifying for a vaccination.

The region has already sent home all students from kindergarten to Grade 12 to learn online and is adding more beds in the hospital intensive care ward.

(The Canadian Press)

by Canadian Press

RM of Wood Buffalo mayor talks to Kenney, says vaccine eligibility key to local COVID-19 crisis

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