Hajdu supports criticism of Alberta pandemic plan

[ad_1]

Federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu continues to criticize Alberta’s plan to drop all pandemic measures by mid-August.

In a letter this week to Alberta Health Minister Tyler Shandro, Hajdu echoed the Canadian Pediatric Society’s description that the provinces’ decision is an unnecessary and risky bet.

Shandro fired back, saying the decision was based on sound principles, and the province’s chief medical officer said on Thursday (August 5) that it had based its decision on other jurisdictions such as the UK, which has saw an increase in the COVID-19 Delta variant before Alberta.

We expect the number of cases to increase and they will continue to increase for about a month. But the impact on serious outcomes and on acute care will be greatly mitigated by vaccines, Dr. Deena Hinshaw told The Canadian Press.

But Hajdu said on Friday that she maintained her criticisms.

We are one country, Hajdu said in St. Johns, where she was attending a long-term care funding announcement.

Just during my flight here, my seatmate was someone who was actually coming back from Alberta, who worked in Alberta but lives in Newfoundland, and that’s just an illustration of how Canada is really only one country.

Hajdu said she appreciates what the medical officers of health have done to align the national approach, while realizing that provinces and territories are choosing different paths.

I think any deviation from tracking this virus, monitoring this virus, isolating sick people, is a mistake at this particular time, she said. This is certainly not the opinion of public health officials who advise me.

She said children are particularly vulnerable as no vaccines are yet approved for children under 12.

I think it is in all of our interests that no part of Canada loses control of COVID-19.

Newfoundland and Labrador Health Minister Dr. John Haggie deferred any comment to the province’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, who was later to hold an update on COVID -19.

Last week, Alberta ended contact tracing and ended the close contact isolation requirement for people who test positive for COVID-19. From August 16, even infected people will no longer need to self-quarantine.

[ad_2]