COVID-19 Update: Teachers need clarity, says union | Wastewater testing gains importance | Alberta courts delay some trials

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With news on COVID-19 happening rapidly, we’ve created this page to bring you our latest stories and information on the outbreak in and around Calgary.

Article content What’s happening now Article content Teachers need clarity amid back-to-school delay, says union leader

Alberta school staff need clear direction as uncertainties mount ahead of next week’s scheduled return to classrooms, the head of the province’s teachers’ union says.

Jason Schilling said teachers are preparing for all possibilities in advance of the Jan. 10 start to the winter semester in kindergarten to Grade 10, with some getting ready for the potential that in-person classes will be cancelled in favour of online learning due to concerns over the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

“There’s a lot of confusion about what is supposed to be happening this week. Teachers are at work, they’re working, they’re preparing for a couple of variables that could happen,” said Schilling, president of the Alberta Teachers’ Association.

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Bearskin Lake First Nation asks for military help with COVID-19 outbreak

An Ontario First Nation is requesting military assistance amid a COVID-19 outbreak that has infected half of its on-reserve population and “crippled” daily operations.

Bearskin Lake First Nation says 174 people have tested positive, including people in essential jobs with administration and maintenance units for the band.

The First Nation says most households are quarantining and need deliveries of food, water, chopped wood and medication, and the community does not have space to host testing or isolation centres.

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Wastewater data fills void as province relies less on PCR testing: researchers

Scientists say testing what Calgarians flush down the toilet could fill the void left by diminished COVID-19 testing numbers in getting a sense of just how much of the virus is in Calgary.

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As the Alberta government moves away from the widespread use of PCR tests — instead telling most to get their COVID results from at-home rapid antigen tests, reserving PCR tests for at-risk groups — case numbers alone aren’t as accurate a reflection of the virus’s hold on the province as they were a month ago. Researchers testing wastewater say the data they’re collecting provides a fuller picture of how much of the virus is present and spreading within the population.

“What’s maybe noteworthy is the signal in Calgary now is maybe twice as high as it’s ever been (in previous waves),” said University of Calgary researcher Casey Hubert.

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Provinces announce new measures as Omicron fuels rise in COVID cases, hospitalization

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Provinces are putting new measures in place to deal with an Omicron-fuelled rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, including delaying in-person schooling in Ontario by two weeks and bringing in the military to help Quebec speed up its third-dose vaccination program.

Ontario joined a number of jurisdictions that already announced a postponed return to in-person learning, declaring the delay Monday along with a slew of new restrictions that puts the province back into a “modified Step 2” of pandemic recovery as of Wednesday.

Newfoundland and Labrador also announced new restrictions Monday, placing the province in “Alert Level 4,” as chief medical officer of health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald urged residents to keep non-essential contacts low.

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Meanwhile, Canada’s public safety minister Bill Blair said on Twitter Monday that members of the Canadian Armed Forces will be deployed to Quebec to speed up the province’s vaccination efforts. Quebec’s booster program is set to expand Tuesday to those 18 and older.

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Ontario schools going remote, province pausing non-urgent surgeries

Ontario is moving schools online and pausing non-urgent surgeries in a bid to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Premier Doug Ford announced the plan today along with other restrictions on businesses and gatherings aimed at controlling the highly contagious Omicron variant.

The measures will take effect on Wednesday, when the province’s chief medical officer will reinstate a directive ordering hospitals to pause all non-emergent and non-urgent surgeries to preserve critical care capacity.

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Indoor dining rooms, gyms and other indoor gathering spaces must close on Wednesday, while personal care services and retail stores will be limited to 50 per cent capacity and indoor social gatherings will be capped at five people.

The government says the school closure will last until at least Jan. 17 and free child-care will be provided for frontline workers with school-aged children.

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From COVID symptoms to treatment: How to recover from Omicron at home

The latest wave of COVID-19 is ripping through Canada, with record-breaking case counts being reported in some provinces. Plenty of people are at home, recovering from an infection. So what’s the best way to get better?

First off: There are no secret at-home cures for COVID-19. There is no evidence, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, that taking vitamin C supplements, for example, is of any use. Nor is there sufficient evidence to recommend vitamin D or zinc as curative supplements.

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This means, if you come down with Omicron, you’re left with the tried and tested methods that any doctor at any walk-in clinic or on any telehealth line is going to give you: plenty of rest and plenty of fluids.

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Alberta courts adjourn some trials due to surging COVID-19 cases

Certain court proceedings are being postponed or shifted to virtual trial by the Provincial Court of Alberta and Queen’s Bench due to the surge in COVID-19 cases across the province.

The provincial court said in an announcement on Saturday that it would be adjourning all adult and youth criminal non-urgent out of custody trials, preliminary inquiries and other hearings that require in-person evidence between Tuesday and Jan. 21. Virtual trials will be used in specific cases, including some traffic court hearings and adult criminal proceedings like docket applications and pre-trials.

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The Queen’s Bench also announced changes which include postponing civil, commercial, surrogate and family matters between Jan. 4 and Jan. 21, as well.

Concern over the fast-spreading Omicron variant is cited by the Provincial Court of Alberta as the reason for adjournments and tightened health measures.

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‘Absolutely ridiculous’: Family doctor raises concerns over documenting patient COVID-19 rapid tests

It’s inappropriate for Alberta’s top doctor to ask family doctors to document patients’ positive COVID-19 rapid tests, says one Calgary physician raising concerns over the expectation amid restricted access to PCR testing.

Dr. Mukarram Zaidi said physicians have a legal obligation to ensure medical records are accurate and can be verified, something he said can’t be done with self-administered rapid tests.

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“If a person just takes a photo of a rapid test and sends it in, what is the medicolegal proof the patient actually did that test?” said Zaidi, who has a practice in the southwest Calgary community of Signal Hill.

“We are now documenting that the patient was COVID positive, and it’s extra time we’re spending on something where we don’t even know if it’s true or not. What me and the other family doctors would like to see is more PCR testing.”

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Sunday Pawlowski brothers charged; Kenney condemns protest outside Alberta health minister’s home

Alberta’s premier is condemning a protest that took place outside the Calgary home of his health minister on New Year’s Day.

In a statement emailed to Postmedia, Premier Jason Kenney said while all Albertans have a right to protest peacefully, that right doesn’t extend to trespassing at private homes of public officials. The province confirmed a protest took place at Health Minister Jason Copping’s home on Saturday afternoon.

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“Unfortunately, this is not the first time that fringe anti-vaccine conspiracy theorists have tried to intimidate government officials in this manner,” Kenney said, referencing the public harassment of former health minister Tyler Shandro on Canada Day.

“I am sure that the vast majority of Albertans reject this kind of extremism.”

Pastor Artur Pawlowski and his brother Dawid Pawlowski, who gained notoriety last year as the heads of Calgary’s health order-defying Street Church, were arrested on Saturday evening after attending the protest.

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Sunday Remote communities locking down, banning outsiders as COVID-19 spreads

The latest wave of COVID-19 is bringing health-care resources in some remote communities in Canada to the breaking point as case numbers explode.

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Record-breaking cases have been documented across much of southern Canada in recent days, and while many hospitals are reporting smaller numbers of critically ill patients than in previous waves, they are struggling with a higher absentee rate because health workers are getting sick in much higher numbers.

Those strains are exacerbated in remote communities where access to health care is already quite limited.

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Sunday Ontario will no longer report school, child care COVID-19 numbers: Ministry of Education memos

Ontario will no longer be reporting COVID-19 case figures in schools or child-care settings amid an ongoing, provincewide surge in new infections, according to a pair of memos from the Ministry of Education.

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The directives to school boards and childcare centre operators, written on Thursday and released by opposition critics a day later, say the provincial government is suspending the reporting of cases in these facilities because of “changes to case and contact management.”

“Further information will be shared shortly with school boards on reporting expectations of absences in schools and school closures due to COVID-19, in conjunction with educational and paediatric leaders,” Minister of Education Stephen Lecce and deputy minister Nancy Naylor write in one of the letters.

Lecce and Naylor’s letter and the other memo sent by Holly Moran, an assistant deputy minister in the ministry’s early years and child care division, do not say whether the guidelines will be distributed before the start of classes on Jan. 5.

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The memos were released Friday by the opposition New Democrats, who are calling for Ontario Premier Doug Ford to reverse the decision to end reporting at these institutions.

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Sunday One arrested, 57 fined at anti-curfew protest in downtown Montreal

Montreal police say 57 people were ticketed and one was arrested at a protest against Quebec’s provincewide curfew on Saturday night.

A few dozen people gathered in downtown Montreal to oppose the return of a curfew, which came into effect from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. on New Year’s Eve.

Premier Francois Legault announced the measure at a news conference in Montreal on Dec. 30 in an effort to curb the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 and prevent the province’s health-care system from being overwhelmed.

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Sunday Omicron-related disruptions cause over 4,000 flight cancellations to kick off 2022

Over 4,000 flights were canceled around the world on Sunday, more than half of them U.S. flights, adding to the toll of holiday week travel disruptions due to adverse weather and the surge in coronavirus cases caused by the Omicron variant.

The Christmas and New Year holidays are typically a peak time for air travel, but the rapid spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant has led to a sharp increase in COVID-19 infections, forcing airlines to cancel flights as pilots and cabin crew quarantine.

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Sunday Israel to offer fourth COVID vaccine shot to over 60s, medical staff

JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Sunday that Israel would offer a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine to people over 60 and to medical staff as it faces a surge in Omicron variant infections.

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Israel last week approved a fourth dose of the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, a second booster, for people who are immune-compromised and the elderly living in care homes.

“We now have a new layer of defense,” Bennett said in a televised news conference, adding that Israel’s top government medical official, whose approval is needed to expand the booster campaign, had signed off on the latest move.

“Israel will once again be pioneering the global vaccination effort,” Bennett said.

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Sunday Dutch police disperse anti-lockdown protesters in Amsterdam

AMSTERDAM — Riot police with batons and shields broke up a crowd of several thousand who had gathered in Amsterdam on Sunday to protest against COVID-19 lockdown measures and vaccinations.

Public gatherings of more than two people are prohibited under restrictions imposed by the Netherlands in an effort to prevent the Omicron variant of the coronavirus overwhelming an already strained healthcare system.

At least 30 people were detained after scuffles, during which four officers were injured, police said in a statement.

Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema had issued an emergency ordinance, empowering police to clear the central Museum Square, after the protesters defied a ban on public gatherings.

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