Everything you need to know about COVID-19 in Alberta on Tuesday, Dec. 21

The latest on restrictions, rapid testing and more:

• The Alberta government has announced new mandatory measures that take effect Dec. 24:
  • Venues in the Restrictions Exemption Program that seat more than 1,000 people will be at 50 per cent capacity. For venues with capacity of 500 to 1,000 occupants, 500 people is the limit. No food or drink can be consumed in these venues.
  • Premier Jason Kenney said at a press conference Tuesday these changes will apply to NHL games, as well as the World Junior Tournament set to begin on Boxing Day.
  • Restaurants, pubs and bars will have a maximum table capacity of 10 people. Mingling between tables, and interactive activities like dancing or billiards, are not permitted.
  • Liquor service at the above establishments must stop at 11 p.m., and the establishment must close at 12:30 a.m.
• Alberta is implementing visitor restrictions at hospitals and continuing care facilities to limit COVID-19 transmission as the Omicron variant spreads.
• Visitors and designated support people who are a close contact of someone with COVID-19 or have a case of it in their home will not be able to access continuing care or acute-care sites for 14 days from the date of last exposure.
• Alberta Health Services says it applies even to people who are fully immunized.
• The Mac's Midget AAA World Invitational Tournament, a 42-year-old tradition that gets underway each Boxing Day in Calgary, has been cancelled this year due to rising cases and new capacity restrictions. The organization tweeted Tuesday refunds for the event will be processed immediately.
• Alberta has had a restrictions exemption program, a voluntary vaccine passport system, in place as of Sept. 20 after suffering through a disastrous fourth wave of COVID-19. A full list of restrictions and exemptions is available on the government's website. 
• Premier Jason Kenney said on Dec. 15 that the province was loosening its private social gathering restrictions, scrapping the rule that only people from two households can get together indoors. 
  • Social gatherings can now consist of people from any household, but groups must not exceed 10 people. Albertans under the age of 18 do not count in that tally.
  • The requirement that all people at indoor social gatherings be fully vaccinated is also being dropped. 
• Starting Dec. 17, the Alberta government made free take-home COVID-19 rapid antigen testing kits available for at-home use on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last:
  • Alberta has authorized the purchase of 10 million rapid tests, expected to arrive in January.
  • More than 2.5 million rapid tests, or 500,000 rapid test kits, have already been made available.
  • The kits are intended for people without symptoms of COVID-19. Those who do have symptoms should stay home, isolate and book a PCR test through Alberta Health Services.
  • There's a limit of one box per person within 14 days and each box contains five tests, since it takes time for people's bodies to develop enough protein from the virus that causes COVID-19 after being exposed.
  • In Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer, the testing kits are available through participating pharmacies.
  • The province has more than half a million kits available to hand out. 
  • Rapid test kits were to also be made available at more schools and for vulnerable populations.
  • Elsewhere, they were to be available through Alberta Health Services sites.
  • As the rollout began, there were reports of long lineups and kits running out at some locations.

The latest COVID-19 numbers: 

• The Alberta government reported Tuesday:
  • There were 786 new COVID cases, with a positivity rate of 10.75 per cent.
  • There are 6,045 total active cases, up from 5,652 on Monday. Calgary once again leads the province in total cases, with nearly twice as many as second-place Edmonton.
  • 329 people with COVID are in hospital, including 69 in intensive care. 
  • Two new deaths. 

• When it comes to the Omicron variant of concern, as of Dec. 21:
  • The total number of Omicron cases in Alberta has soared to 1,609, and it is now considered to be the dominant strain in the province.
  • Dr. Hinshaw says cases of Omicron are doubling every two or three days.
  • More than half of the variant cases — 972 — are in the Calgary zone.

WATCH | What is the Omicron variant? Infectious disease expert Craig Jenne simplifies what the variant is:

What is the Omicron variant?

3 years ago

Duration 5:00

Infectious disease expert Craig Jenne simplifies what the variant is, and what it means for the latest round in our battle against COVID.

• Since the start of the pandemic, a total of 3,294 Albertans have died of COVID.
• 334,395 Albertans have recovered.
• There are active alerts or outbreaks in 187 schools.
• Confirmed cases of the Omicron variant have been reported in three schools run by the Calgary Board of Education (CBE), the organization said on Dec. 16.
• The Calgary Catholic School District has two confirmed cases of Omicron, each at a different school.
• On Dec. 19, the University of Calgary — citing rising cases of Omicron — cancelled the remainder of  in-person exams for the semester. The university also said any activities not required to be in person would be moved online for Jan. 3-7 and encouraged everyone to work remotely through to Jan. 9.
• Provincewide, the R-value for Nov. 29 to Dec.12 was 0.96, with a confidence interval between 0.92 and 1.01. An R-value below 1.0 means transmission is no longer growing.
• The R-value for the Edmonton zone is 0.99, and in Calgary it's 0.96. In the rest of Alberta, the rate is 0.93.

WATCH: How to perform the rapid antigen test:

How to use a take home COVID-19 test kit

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With the province releasing home rapid COVID-19 test kits, Edmonton pharmacist Shivali Sharma shows CBC’s Pippa Reed how to use one properly.

The latest on vaccines:

• As of Dec. 21, Alberta placed second-last of all provinces and territories in terms of the percentage of people who had received at least one dose and the percentage of people who had received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine:
  • 72.1 per cent of the province's total population — or 76.5 per cent of eligible Albertans (ages five years and older) — have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.
  • 78.3 per cent of the province's total population, and 83.1 per cent of those ages five and older, have received at least one dose, according to CBC's vaccine tracker. 
  • That compares with 82.1 per cent of the total population Canada-wide that has received at least one dose of vaccine, and 76.4 per cent of the total population that has been fully vaccinated. Among those eligible across the country, 86.4 per cent have had one dose, and 80.3 per cent are fully vaccinated.

• Starting Dec. 21, the Alberta government announced that anyone aged 18 and older who received their second COVID-19 vaccine at least five months ago can now book a third dose.
• Boosters of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will be offered to Albertans 18 to 29 years of age due to a slightly increased risk of myocarditis in younger Albertans, especially males, from Moderna — although the government emphasizes that individuals are much more likely to experience myocarditis from COVID-19 infection than the vaccine.
• Kenney announced on Dec. 15 that all Albertans 50 and older — as well as all health-care workers — were immediately eligible to get an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine booster shot, provided that at least six months had passed since their second dose.
• People who received two doses of AstraZeneca or one dose of Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine can also get a booster of an mRNA vaccine, if they have not already received an mRNA dose for travel purposes, and provided it has been at least six months since their second dose.
  • Eligible people can book appointments for third doses online with participating pharmacies or AHS by using the Alberta vaccine booking system.
  • Albertans can also call 811, participating pharmacies or participating physicians' offices.

See which regions are being hit hardest:

Here is the latest detailed regional breakdown of active cases, as reported by the province on Dec. 21:

• Calgary zone: 3,222.
• Edmonton zone: 1,740.
• Central zone: 464.
• North zone: 390.
• South zone: 215.
• Unknown: 14.

Here are the latest Alberta COVID-19 stories:

The latest updates on COVID-19 in Alberta in charts and graphs: