Lauren Boothby
The coronavirus COVID-19.Photo by Maksim Tkachenko /Getty Images
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Alberta is on track for a Canada Day without any public health restrictions.
The province was set to hit its target COVID-19 vaccination rate by the end of day Thursday. Of Albertans age 12 and older, 69.9 per cent had received a single jab after around 5,300 first doses were given out the previous day, provincial data shows. This accounts for just shy of 60 per cent of the provinces total population with one shot. More than 24 per cent of eligible Albertans have received two inoculations.
Should Alberta pass the 70 per cent threshold, the province would move into Stage 3 of the summer reopening plan on July 1. In this stage, nearly all mandatory public health restrictions would be removed.
Meantime, Alberta reported 150 new cases of COVID-19 across the province on Thursday and two more deaths.
New COVID-19 cases have remained low in recent weeks. About 2.4 per cent of the 6,044 COVID-19 tests on Wednesday were positive. Falling numbers of new cases, active cases, and hospitalizations have come as more people across the province have been getting vaccinated, though uptake for first doses has recently slowed.
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Earlier this week, Premier Jason Kenney announced the Open for Summer Lottery to encourage those who are eligible to get vaccinated. Registration for the first $1-million draw ends one week after Alberta reaches the 70 per cent first-dose goal.
There were 2,471 active cases across Alberta including 535 in Edmonton Zone and 1,078 in Calgary Zone as of Thursday. Albertas COVID-19 hospitalizations declined to 242 including 58 in intensive care. 
Another 136 variant cases were found and 1,796 of Albertas active cases are variants.
Calgary patients die in Delta outbreak
Dr. Andre Corriveau, deputy chief medical officer of health, said on Twitter Thursday two patients in their eighties died of the Delta variant of COVID-19 at Calgarys Foothills hospital. One was fully vaccinated.
The deaths of two patients naturally raises concern, as one had been vaccinated. Every death is tragic but its important not to over-generalize the community risk or effectiveness of vaccines. The patients were in their 80s and required hospitalization before being exposed, he stated.
Sadly, no vaccine is 100 per cent protective. If exposed, some vaccinated (people) will still get sick, and some severely. Older people and those with underlying conditions are at higher risk. But most people will not get sick and most of those who do will experience milder illness.
Alberta Health Services spokesman Kerry Williamson said in a news release one patient had received two doses of an mRNA vaccine and the other had not been immunized.
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Vaccines are 33 per cent effective against the Delta variant on the first dose and 80 per cent after the second, he said.
The Delta variant, first found in India, is being watched carefully in Alberta.
Corriveau said Tuesday its likely this strain will become dominant in Alberta, although for now the numbers remain low. In total, Alberta has had 391 cases of this strain, nearly all in Calgary Zone.
The Delta strain is now the dominant one in the United Kingdom and, with its rapid transmission, is threatening plans there to reopen the economy further and lift health restrictions.
With files from The Canadian Press
lboothby@postmedia.com
@laurby
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