kill Alberta woman in her 50s dies of not-so-rare blood clot linked to AstraZeneca vaccine Vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia occurs in 1 in every 100,000 shots An Alberta woman in her 50s has died from a rare blood clot condition after receiving the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine, says the province's chief medical officer of health. In a statement Tuesday, Dr. Deena Hinshaw said the woman died of vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT). It's Alberta's first death linked to the vaccine. Hinshaw said the woman was only the second confirmed case of VIIT in the province. More than 253,000 doses of AstraZeneca or CoviSHIELD that have been administered in Alberta. clots The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) said viral vector COVID-19 vaccines like those offered by AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson are not the "preferred" products Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, each received a dose of the AstraZeneca product at an Ottawa pharmacy late last month. He said today he has no regrets. NACI, an independent body composed of volunteer experts, said Monday that Canadians who are less likely to contract COVID-19 may want to wait until an mRNA shot from Pfizer or Moderna is available because those products don't carry the same risk of very rare, but serious, blood clots. "What we've said all along is that the mRNA vaccines are the preferred vaccine," said Dr. Shelley Deeks, the vice-chair of NACI.

alta Alberta tightens restrictions, increases fines for COVID-19 rule-breakers Province reports 1,743 new cases and 9 new deaths Fines doubled to $20,000.00 The Alberta government has introduced a bundle of tougher public-health restrictions to slow the spread of COVID-19 — measures Premier Jason Kenney argued are needed to keep the health-care system from being overwhelmed. All kindergarten to Grade 12 students in Alberta will move to at-home learning starting on Friday and continuing until after the May long weekend, and all workplaces in the province with COVID-19 outbreaks will be closed. Other new measures include closing restaurants and bars to in-person dining, closing down personal care services such as hair salons and limiting outdoor gatherings to five people. Kenney announced the measures in a televised address Tuesday evening. They are among the toughest restrictions introduced in Alberta since last spring. Retail stores must limit capacity to 10 per cent of their fire code occupancy "or a minimum of five customers," not including staff.