Alberta's former chief medical officer of health calls for 'urgent' COVID-19 change

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney rejected calls for a 'hard lockdown' during an appearance on a radio program Sunday, the same day that his province's former top doctor signed a letter calling for immediate 'firebreak' measures to deal with surging cases of COVID-19. Kenney told radio host Roy Green that a lockdown would make 'no sense for the 80 per cent of the population that is vaccinated,' who he said are much less likely to transmit the disease and are far less likely to be hospitalized. He also said the roughly 20 per cent who aren't vaccinated and are behind the surge in cases are less likely to follow public health measures. Dr. James Talbot, Alberta's former chief medical officer of health, co-wrote a letter to the province's new health minister, Jason Copping, strongly recommending additional measures in the province, as the pandemic's fourth wave continues to strain hospital capacity.