How Albertans can have Thanksgiving without a side of COVID-19

COVID-19 hospitalizations in Alberta jump to nearly 1,000 The clinician added people of any age taking medication for medical conditions, the very young and the under-vaccinated are at risk of severe disease.Less than a month into the new school year, dozens of schools have been placed on respiratory illness outbreaks and 2022 has seen children hospitalized by COVID at a higher rate than the two previous years of the ongoing pandemic.Saxinger said recent exposure to the virus via booster shot or infection reduces the likelihood of severe disease, hospitalization or death.“But of course, that doesn’t mean that a non-severe illness is a walk in the park,” she said, adding getting a booster shot days before attending a dinner can still help with individual protection.Saxinger said anyone with cold- or flu-like symptoms should avoid social gatherings.

And getting a COVID-positive result in a rapid test can confirm if someone is contagious with COVID-19.“If they have symptoms and they test COVID-negative, I don’t necessarily think that that’s as reassuring as people might imagine it is.

If people are feeling fine and then the rapid test is negative, that definitely should make that a safer gathering,” she said.“If you’re going to use a rapid test, it shouldn’t change your basic precautions.

That doesn’t mean you should be getting all up in each other’s faces because ‘you’re completely safe.’ It just means that it should be a screen-out test so that people who are positive know and don’t go in.”The same substance that carries the scent of a freshly-roasted turkey can also carry the virus that has killed more than 4,900 Albertans during the pandemic: air.“Laboratory, field, modeling and case studies have demonstrated that.