In December, the Alberta Chapters of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers released guidance recommending that schools have ventilation systems that use filters with minimum efficiency reporting values of 13 or higher to try and make indoor learning as safe as possible for staff and students during the COVID-19 pandemic. These are also known as MERV-13 filters or systems. Edmonton Catholic Schools are now in the process of having MERV-13 systems installed...
Jan 11, 2022•59 sec•Ep. 306
Active Transportation when it’s very very cold out Wear appropriate clothing Always wear clothing appropriate for the weather. Synthetic and wool fabrics provide better insulation. Some synthetic fabrics are designed to keep perspiration away from your body which keep you dry and further reduce your risk. Dress in layers with a wind resistant outer layer. You can remove layers if you get too warm (before you start sweating) or add a layer if you get cold. Wear warm socks, gloves, a hat and scarf...
Jan 07, 2022•1 min•Ep. 305
To preserve lab capacity for tracking outbreak in high-risk settings, the government has directed Albertans to avoid getting a PCR test and instead use at-home rapid antigen testing or assume they have COVID if they are symptomatic. Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-covid-coronavirus-january-4-1.6303493 Produced by Saveta Cartwright.
Jan 05, 2022•1 min•Ep. 304
Students in kindergarten to grade twelve in Alberta will have their winter break extended until January 10th as omicron cases rise across the province. There is no word yet on whether school will resume with in-person or online classes, but the province has promised a supply of rapid tests and medical-grade masks for staff and students. January diploma exams have been cancelled, with no word yet on the fate of spring diploma exams. Produced by Hannah Cunningham.
Jan 04, 2022•58 sec•Ep. 303
Welcome back, it is a new year and with our first campus update we are covering the universities plan for its 2022 winter safe plan. This plan includes three weeks of online classes and enhanced safety measures. These measures include in person campus events will be shifted online, work from home will continue and on campus activities continue with physical distancing. This measure will continue till January 23rd. Also available now are third doses, as of december 21st all individuals over the a...
Jan 03, 2022•1 min•Ep. 302
It is holiday season here in Alberta! Before we all take some time off to relax and recuperate, here are some quick tips on how to stay safe this holiday season. Indoor gatherings should be kept to a limit of 10 people, and virtual get-togethers should still be prioritized. We'll be taking a short break from providing COVID-19 updates, returning to our regular schedule on January 3rd. Happy holidays from the COVID-19 News team, and stay safe! Produced by Hannah Cunningham.
Dec 21, 2021•1 min•Ep. 301
For this weeks campus update we touch on the continued plans to bring staff and students back full time in person despite the recent rise of variant risks. While alberta does still remain under the provincial work from home order the university still plans on issuing the 30 day notice to staff when that order is lifted. When that could happen is another guess as the omicron variant as of December 19th had totaled over 400 new cases in the past week. In other news the alberta government announced...
Dec 20, 2021•1 min•Ep. 300
Implications of the City of Edmonton Supplemental budget adjustments Most excitingly, the Edmonton city council has been talking about a supplemental budget adjustment to provide 4.75 million dollars towards Active Transportation improvements and expansions to sidewalks across Edmonton. These mobility-lane and -network improvements can potentially increase safety, align with other city goals such as vision zero, and both provide support for local businesses and increase covid-compliant options f...
Dec 17, 2021•1 min•Ep. 299
In response to the COVID-19 Omicron variant, Government of Alberta has updated Public Health Actions. Source: https://www.alberta.ca/covid-19-public-health-actions.aspx Produced by Saveta Cartwright.
Dec 15, 2021•54 sec•Ep. 298
If you get a text that says that Alberta Health Services is asking for your credit card information - it's a scam! Unfortunately, scammers have been taking advantage of the pandemic, and several COVID-19 related scams have circulated in Alberta. It is recommended that you do not click on any links that you receive from unknown senders, and do your research on companies and organizations and their practices regarding COVID-19. Produced by Hannah Cunningham.
Dec 14, 2021•59 sec•Ep. 297
For this week's campus update we cover a story released this week about a provincial partnership between research universities in Alberta who are monitoring wastewater to see localized trends of covid before they happen. The University of Calgary and Alberta partnered on a 3.4$million dollar grant from the provincial government and are currently monitoring the wastewater of about 3.2 million albertans or about a third of our population and provide data about the presence of covid19 in certain mu...
Dec 13, 2021•1 min•Ep. 296
Tawatinâ bridge opening celebration Although it’s quite icy out, and everyone should be super-duper careful, if you’re looking for a new place to walk, the Tawatinâ bridge will be open this weekend! The bridge creates a unique opportunity for access to Edmonton’s river valley so be sure to check it out over the winter months. However, given the freeze-thaw cycles we’re experiencing, be sure to wear cleats, sturdy shoes and layers of clothing to make your walk enjoyable. You can now walk from Riv...
Dec 10, 2021•1 min•Ep. 295
Alberta can now track the prevalence of COVID-19 infections in nearly 75 percent of the population thanks to the new Pan-Alberta Network for Wastewater-based SARS-CoV-2 Monitoring announced today. Source: https://www.ualberta.ca/folio/2021/12/wastewater-testing-for-sars-cov-2-virus-expands-to-most-alberta-cities.html Produced by Saveta Cartwright.
Dec 08, 2021•1 min•Ep. 294
Happening tonight (Dec 7)! If you are a parent or guardian of a child in this age group and have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, there is a webinar happening tonight that you may be interested in. Tim Caulfield, a law professor at the University of Alberta, will moderate a discussion with a panel of experts, including both infectious disease doctors and paediatricians. The conversation will focus on addressing concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine and children. The webinar is happening from ...
Dec 07, 2021•58 sec•Ep. 293
In this week's campus update we discuss the universities protocols for in person exams this winter, whereby all students will need to be wearing a mask and provide their campus ready pass. Also covered is December 1st’s announcement by the Alberta government to begin administering covid-19 booster vaccines to all adults starting next week. These Third doses will be available starting Monday, December 6th for those over the age of 60. Albertans are recommended to book their third dose no sooner t...
Dec 06, 2021•1 min•Ep. 292
The City of Edmonton’s Winter City Strategy and Bike Edmonton are giving a limited number of studded winter tires to help people start to winter cycle! To be eligible to receive free studded winter tires, you have to a. be 16 years of age or older, b. be new or relatively new to winter cycling, c. do three winter cycling challenges by December 31, 2021. All challenges help you gain the knowledge and confidence for winter cycling! Six of the ten challenges are free. And, d. fill out a questionnai...
Dec 03, 2021•1 min•Ep. 291
It has been almost one week since parents and guardians became able to book COVID vaccine appointments for children aged 5-11 in Alberta. According to reporting by the Calgary Herald, as of November 30th, 26 844, or 6.9%, of all children aged 5-11 in Alberta have gotten their first dose. 57 200 children have appointments booked for over the next four weeks, meaning that about 20% of children in this age group will have gotten one dose of COVID vaccine by the end of December. Produced by Hannah C...
Dec 02, 2021•1 min•Ep. 290
On November 19th the Canadian Government announced that health canada had approved pfizer-biontechs vaccine for children. Children aged 5-11 will now have access to the vaccine when it arrives shortly at a number of 2.9 million doses being made available. Provinces and territories will be responsible once again for administering the vaccine. Comparatively the vaccine will be delivered in a ⅓ rd of the size of the doses for children 12 and older and adults. Health canada has authorized a two dose...
Nov 29, 2021•1 min•Ep. 289
Winter cycling Want to continue your active transportation over winter? There’s no reason you can’t. the best way is to put off putting your bike away and ride one more day. Try inching your way into winter riding by seeing how long into the fall you are comfortable riding, then try riding one more snowy day. Also, consider picking a temperature below which you don’t want to ride in. There’s no need to be a martyr. If you’re not enjoying it, just take a break. If you would go skiing or play hock...
Nov 26, 2021•1 min•Ep. 288
The new lower dose pediatric formulation of the Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine by Pfizer-BioNTech has been authorized by Health Canada as Canada's first COVID-19 vaccine for use in children aged 5 to 11 years. Source: https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/phac-aspc/documents/services/immunization/national-advisory-committee-on-immunization-naci/recommendations-use-covid-19-vaccines/pfizer-biontech-10-mcg-children-5-11-years-age/summary/summary.pdf Produced by Saveta Cartwright
Nov 24, 2021•1 min•Ep. 287
After Health Canada's approval of the Pfizer vaccine for children aged 5-11, province are releasing their vaccine rollout plans. However, Alberta is lagging behind, with no word yet on when appointment bookings will be made available. Parents and guardians can pre-register children aged 5-11 for a vaccination at this link: https://bookvaccine.alberta.ca/vaccine/s/ Produced by Hannah Cunningham
Nov 23, 2021•1 min•Ep. 286
This week's campus update covers the updated covid-19 travel directives. In response to changing federal guidelines, the universities announced that even though level 3 travel advisory has been removed, the university will indefinitely suspend such travel outside of canada per the approval of the dean or vice president. Students will be required to follow the go abroad process outlined via the universities website, their travel to high risk locations will need to be consulted with their educatio...
Nov 22, 2021•1 min•Ep. 285
Sugars found on the surface of human cells influence COVID-19 infection, according to a University of Alberta-led study that is one of the first to observe this relationship and suggests that cells in the brain might be particularly susceptible. Source: https://www.ualberta.ca/folio/2021/11/sars-cov-2-uses-sugars-to-invade-human-cells-new-study-shows.html Produced by Saveta Cartwright.
Nov 17, 2021•1 min•Ep. 284
Investigations done by CBC have shown that 30 of Alberta's 63 school boards have already, or have plans to, implement vaccine mandates or routine rapid testing for staff. Here is a list from CBC of school boards that have already implemented these programs or have plans to:https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1jshtbbYMsToJBZwpwJSq-6w6FKDz8-lljIZMCIWYQaU/edit#gid=0 Produced by Hannah Cunningham.
Nov 16, 2021•1 min•Ep. 282
This week we did not see an update from the university's website. But to look at the broader picture we look at current case numbers in Alberta at the moment, on alberta’s updated website can sort by age groups to see trending cases amongst young people. Alberta this past week reached 506 for the ages of 10-19, which in contrast to 298 cases for those aged 20-29 is interesting and can be assumed from in person schooling. As of November 12th over 81 Percent of eligible Albertans have been fully v...
Nov 15, 2021•1 min•Ep. 283
If you have the time before moving to an apartment or buying a home in a particular area, consider this using this tactic to incorporate active transportation into your life. Start by getting a map of the city that has bike routes and bus lanes on it, a pencil and a protractor. Once you have these things, draw circles on the map around each place you might go over the course of a month. For instance, you might circle where you buy groceries or clothes, or go for coffee, where you work or go to s...
Nov 12, 2021•1 min•Ep. 281
Health Canada has authorized the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine as a booster shot. The booster is authorized for adults 18 years or older, to be used at least six months after an individual has completed their primary vaccine series. Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/news/2021/11/health-canada-authorizes-the-use-of-the-pfizer-biontech-comirnaty-covid-19-vaccine-as-a-booster-shot.html Produced by Saveta Cartwright
Nov 10, 2021•1 min•Ep. 280
Last week, workers at the Cargill meatpacking plant in High River voted to strike if their conditions, including health and safety concerns about COVID-19, are not met by the company. Produced by Hannah Cunningham. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/cargill-alberta-union-meat-packers-1.6239617
Nov 09, 2021•58 sec•Ep. 279
In this week's campus update, released on November 5th 2021 we cover the upcoming year of 2022 where the university will aim to have at least 90% of classes physically in person. As cases have continued to rise with reported number from those aged 20-29 to be 351 from the week of October 29th to November 4th it seems like this will be a tough task ahead. Also expected soon is that once the provincial work-from-home measure is lifted all available staff will begin returning to campus also with th...
Nov 08, 2021•1 min•Ep. 278
COP 26 and Cycling Sixty-four cycling organizations have sent a list of suggestions to boost cycling levels in a letter to the Conference of the Parties which is a global United Nations summit about climate change . COP26 is attended by countries that signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - a treaty agreed to in 1994. Some of suggestions, (thanks to TreeHugger.com) include: Promoting cycling in all its forms, Recognising cycling as a climate solution, establis...
Nov 05, 2021•1 min•Ep. 277
