Alberta’s first shipment of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine has arrived.
Health Minister Tyler Shandro says the initial 3,900 doses will be administered on Wednesday to ICU doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and long-term care workers in Edmonton and Calgary.
Right now this vaccine must be administered at its delivery site.
Shandro says an additional 23,350 doses will arrive next week which means more than 29,000 people will get a first dose by the end of the month.
He says the province also expects to receive an unspecified number of doses of the Moderna vaccine by the end of December however it hasn’t yet been given approval by Health Canada.
Shandro says that the vaccine will likely be earmarked for continuing care residents as it doesn’t require the same storage as the Pfizer vaccine.
Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw provided her daily update early on Monday and reported 1,887 new cases of COVID-19.
There are currently 716 people in hospital and 136 of them are in the ICU.
Another 15 deaths were also reported over the past day.
Specific community data wasn’t immediately available.
Written by Tina Karst, MyLethbridgeNow.com