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 Programthat seatmore 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 applyto 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, andinteractive 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 arestrictions exemption program,a voluntary vaccine passport system, in place as ofSept. 20 after suffering through adisastrous fourth wave of COVID-19.A full list of restrictions and exemptions is available on the government's website.
• Premier Jason Kenneysaid on Dec. 15 that the province wasloosening its privatesocial gathering restrictions, scrapping the rule that only people fromtwo 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 madefreetake-homeCOVID-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.
  • Thekits are intended for peoplewithoutsymptoms of COVID-19. Those who dohave symptomsshouldstay home, isolateand book a PCR test through Alberta Health Services.
  • There'sa 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 andRed Deer, thetesting kitsare 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 availablethrough Alberta Health Services sites.
  • As the rollout began, there were reports of long lineups and kits running outat some locations.

The latest COVID-19 numbers:

• The Alberta government reported Tuesday:
  • There were786new COVIDcases, with a positivity rate of10.75 per cent.
  • There are 6,045totalactive cases, up from 5,652on Monday. Calgary once again leads the province in total cases, with nearly twice as many as second-place Edmonton.
  • 329people with COVIDare in hospital, including 69inintensive care.
  • Twonewdeaths.

• When it comes to the Omicron variant of concern, as of Dec. 21:
  • The total number of Omicron casesin Alberta hassoared 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 twoor threedays.
  • More than half of thevariant 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?

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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, atotal of 3,294Albertans have diedof COVID.
• 334,395Albertanshave recovered.
• There areactive alerts or outbreaks in 187schools.
• 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 citingrising 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. 29to Dec.12was 0.96, with a confidence interval between0.92and 1.01.An R-value below 1.0 means transmission is nolonger growing.
• The R-value for the Edmonton zone is 0.99, and in Calgary it's0.96. In therest of Alberta, the rate is0.93.

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 CBCs 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 doseand 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 76.5per cent of eligible Albertans(ages five years and older) have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.
  • 78.3per centof the province's total population, and 83.1 per cent of those ages five and older, have received at least one dose,according toCBC'svaccinetracker.
  • That compares with82.1 per cent of the total population Canada-wide that hasreceived at least one dose of vaccine, and 76.4per centof the total population that hasbeen fully vaccinated.Among those eligible across the country, 86.4per cent have had one dose, and 80.3per 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 thePfizer-BioNTechvaccinewill be offered to Albertans 18 to 29 years of agedue to a slightly increased risk of myocarditis in younger Albertans, especially males, from Moderna although the government emphasizes thatindividuals are much more likely to experience myocarditis from COVID-19 infection than the vaccine.
• Kenney announced on Dec. 15 that allAlbertans 50 and older as well as all health-care workers wereimmediatelyeligible to getan mRNA COVID-19 vaccine booster shot, provided that at least six months hadpassed since their second dose.
• People who received two doses of AstraZeneca or one dose of Johnson & Johnson's Janssenvaccinecan also geta 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 peoplecan book appointments for third doses online with participating pharmacies or AHS by using the Alberta vaccinebooking system.
  • Albertans can also call 811,participating pharmaciesor participating physicians' offices.

See which regions are being hit hardest:

Here is thelatest detailed regional breakdownof 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: