Everything you need to know about COVID-19 in Alberta on Friday, Feb. 5

The latest:

• The province reported 396additional cases of COVID-19 on Friday, compared with582new casesreported Thursday.
• Since reaching a peak on Dec. 7 of 1,767 new cases per day, the seven-day average of daily new cases has been declining. As of Feb. 4, the seven-day average was 414.57, roughly the level it was at in late Octoberwhen the numbers had just startedrising sharply.

• Another ninepeople have died,bringing the total number of deaths in the province to1,693.
• There were6,407active casesin the province Friday, inching down from 6,588on Thursday.
• There were475people in hospital, including 89in intensive care. That's down from 517peoplein hospital, including 93 inICU, as of Thursday'supdate.
• The provincewide R-value, which refers to the average number of people infected by each person with COVID-19, was 0.83.
• The province has now confirmed78 cases of people infected with variants of the coronavirus that were first identified in the United Kingdom and South Africa.
• Hinshawsaid Thursday two of the new variant cases potentially exposed two additional schools in the Calgary zone.

• That brings the total number of variant cases at Calgary zone schools to four, each at a different school. All of the cases are travel-related.
• Alberta has changed self-isolation rulesfor those infected with variants of COVID-19, and in some cases people may end up in quarantine for up to 24 days, Hinshaw said.
• The variants seem to have an infection rate that's 30 to 50 per cent higher than the strain that's been in Alberta so far. England and Ireland have seen the variant spread rapidly throughout their populations and the U.K.'s daily mortality rate is the highest it's been since the start of the pandemic.
• As of Friday, 114,066 Albertanshad received their first doses of the vaccine. Of those, 23,268had been fully immunized with a second booster dose.
• Hinshaw saidThursday she has heard that some seniors in Alberta are getting phone calls telling them they can book vaccination appointments if they're willing to pay fees. "This is not a legitimate claim, this is a scam," she said.
• Premier Jason Kenney took aim at conspiracy theorists in a live Facebookaddress Tuesday night,urgingAlbertans who have bought into misinformation about COVID-19 being a hoax or part of a global effort to impose some kind of socialist order upon the world to "wake up and smell the coffee" and look at the facts.
• The Alberta government will provide a one-time infusion of $68.5 million to continuing-care operators, home-care providers and facilities that provide addictionand mental health treatment, to help them defray additional costs incurred because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

See the detailed regional breakdown:

Here is the detailed regional breakdown of active cases as of Friday.

• Calgary zone: 2,598, down from 2,710 reported on Friday (45,344 recovered).
• Edmonton zone: 2,041, down from 2,117 (49,072 recovered).
• North zone: 809, down from 811 (9,506 recovered).
• South zone: 303, up from 288 (5,591 recovered).
• Central zone: 642, down from 645 (8,348 recovered).
• Unknown: 14, down from 17 (107recovered).

Find out which neighbourhoods or communities have the most cases, how hard people of different ages have been hit, the ages of people in hospital, how Alberta compares to other provinces and more in: Here are the latest COVID-19 statistics for Alberta and what they mean

Here are the latest Alberta COVID-19 stories:

More research needed on how vaccines affect variants

More research isneeded to investigate the effectiveness of the vaccines on the virus variants, Hinshaw said.

The province has now confirmed a total of 68 cases of people infected with variants of the coronavirus that were first identified in the United Kingdom and South Africa.

"We are actively reviewing the literature and experience around the globe to assess if additional measures are needed in school and other settings in the weeks ahead,"Hinshawsaid Thursday.

"It's important to remember that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are only a few months old, just like the variants. There is much we do not yet know, though researchers around the world are investigating," she said.

"However, even against the variants, these vaccines still appear to be extremely effective at preventing severe cases, hospitalizations and deaths."

Vaccine scam targets seniors

Hinshaw said she has heard that some seniors in Alberta are getting phone calls telling them they can book vaccination appointments if they're willing to pay fees.

"This is not a legitimate claim, this is a scam," she said. "Due to limited vaccine supply coming into the province, we are not yet able to offer the vaccine to all Albertans over the age of 75.

"When we do, the vaccine will be free of charge. Neither AHS nor any other community provider will ever be asking for payment for the vaccine. If you receive these calls, please hang up immediately and report to the non-emergency line of your local law enforcement."

• For more, see: Alberta reports 13 more COVID-19 deaths and 582 new cases

2 more Calgary zone schools report cases ofvariant

The number of cases of thecoronavirus variant continues to grow in Alberta, including at Calgary zone schools,the province's chief medical officer of health says.

Hinshawsaid Thursday two of the new cases potentially exposed two additional schools in the Calgary zone.

That brings the total number of variant cases at Calgary zone schools to four, each at a different school. All of the cases are travel-related.

"As I mentioned in previous updates, these individuals did nothing wrong, and unfortunately the exposure was the result of an overlap in incubation and quarantine periods," Hinshaw said.

Variants could change Canadas COVID-19 situation rapidly: experts

4 years ago

Duration 2:05

Even as overall COVID-19 numbers continue to trend downward across Canada, health officials are increasingly concerned about the spread of two variants: one first detected in the U.K. and another in South Africa, which experts say could rapidly change the situation in Canada.

A spokesperson with Alberta Health said the schools are not being identified at this time due to patient confidentiality.

Scientists say the coronavirus variants aresignificantly more transmissiblecompared to the original strain.

But when it comes to the schoolsidentified earlier this week, Hinshaw said there has yet to be any spread detected within classes despite enhanced testing.

"However, with these two new schools, as before, it is important to know that anyone who may have been exposed was already quarantined after the initial COVID positive test," she said.

"We are now offering all close contacts the chance to get tested twice, as a precautionary measure."

• For more, see:2 more Calgary zone schools report cases of coronavirus variant

Alberta gym and fitness studio owners say they can't survive ongoing restrictions

A coalition of Alberta gyms and fitness studios says government restrictions are hurting their businesses and argue the services they provide are part of the solution, rather than the problem.

Under Alberta's phasedreopening plan, gyms and fitness studios can reopen on Monday, but under strict restrictions. Only one-on-one training is allowed and trainer-client pairs must stay three metres away from any other pairs.

The Alberta coalition of theFitness Industry Council of Canada (FIC)says it represents almost 200 gyms and studios in the province.

It says more than 50 per cent of the facilities it has surveyed say they will not survive another two months of closure. The group arguesgyms and fitness studios are safe and can help alleviate some of the mental and physical strains inflicted by the pandemic.

ScottWildeman, the president of theFIC, said his organization is in direct talks with the government and appreciates the the difficult position it's in.

He said it's a positive step that the province has set benchmarks for when facilities could reopen.

"But as it relates to fitness, we feel Stage One has missed the mark on a number of areas by simply limiting access to private training sessions," saidWildeman.

• For more, see:Alberta gym and fitness studio owners say they can't survive ongoing restrictions

Kenney takes on COVID-19 conspiracy theorists in Facebook 'rant'

Premier Jason Kenneyis urging Albertans who have bought into conspiracy theories about COVID-19 being a hoax or part of a global effort to impose some kind of socialist order upon the world to "wake up and smell the coffee" and look at the actual data.

The premier's comments came during aFacebook Live question-and-answer sessionhe hosted alongside Hinshawon Tuesday night. He was respondingto aviewer who asked:"Are you working with Trudeau and Klaus Schwab on 'The Great Reset?'"

• Hear more of what Kenney had to say about COVID-19 'denialism' in the video below

Give your heads a shake: Kenney slams COVID-19 misinformation

4 years ago

Duration 5:45

Speaking Tuesday night during a Facebook Live Q&A, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney fought back against misinformation linking COVID-19 to a socialist conspiracy and urged people who indulge in such conspiracy theories to 'deal with reality.'

Kenney at first laughed at the question, but then appeared to get increasingly frustrated as he delivered a nearly nine-minute answer inaself-described "rant" against the people who promote pandemic-related conspiracy theories on social media.

"When you're sitting in my chair, you don't have the luxury of indulging in all of this denialism, of trying to blame some globalist conspiracy," the premier said.

"I'm sorry to go on a rant but when you're implying that our [COVID-19] response is because some socialist in Switzerland told me that he wanted me to shut down businesses in Alberta, folks, give your heads a shake. And please, deal with reality."

Kenney said COVID-19 is not an imaginary illness invented bySchwab, aGerman engineer and economist who founded the World Economic Forum, which hostsa high-profile gatheringof world leaders, economists, celebrities and businesspeople each year in Davos, Switzerland.

"The Great Reset" isan idea proposed by Schwabfor a broad set of policy reforms in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic "to revamp all aspects of our societies and economies, from education to social contracts and working conditions."

The idea has been "interpreted as sinister, first by fringe conspiracy theory groups on social media, and then by prominent conservative commentators prompting tens of thousands of interactions across Facebook and Twitter," according to aBBC reality checkon numerous COVID-19-related conspiracy theories around the world.

• For more, see:Jason Kenney takes on COVID-19 conspiracy theorists in Facebook 'rant'

NFL shares lessons learned in COVID-19 outbreaks

Super Bowl Sunday is right around the corner, but for a while it was in doubt, as COVID-19 outbreaks plagued the NFL during the regular season.

And that led the league to go to great lengths to ensure player safety, even having robots sanitize the locker rooms. Now the league is sharing what it learned from those outbreaks. And the lessons could apply more broadly to public health, too.

Medical columnist Dr. Raj Bhardwaj joined CBC Calgary's Rob Brown on Tuesday to talk about that.

• Watch the video, below:

NFL's COVID-19 lessons

4 years ago

Duration 5:50

Super Bowl Sunday is right around the corner, but for a while it was in doubt, as COVID-19 outbreaks plagued the NFL during the regular season. And that led the league to go to great lengths to ensure player safety, even having robots sanitize the locker rooms. Now the league is sharing what it learned from those outbreaks. And the lessons could apply to public health, too. Medical columnist Dr. Raj Bhardwaj joined CBC Calgarys Rob Brown to talk about that.

• For the latest on what's happening in the rest of Canada and around the world, seehere.