Remain vigilant as restrictions ease, says infectious disease specialist

CALGARY – An infectious disease specialist says as certain restrictions ease in Alberta, we need to remain vigilant or risk having the virus come back to bite us.

Alberta lifted a bevy of restrictions Thursday as it entered stage two of its reopening for the summer plan.

READ MORE: Alberta enters Stage 2 of reopening Thurs.–here’s what you need to know

Dr. Dan Gregson with the University of Calgary says it’s still in your best interest to be cautious despite no longer being required to abide by particular pandemic limitations.

And you can still get sick, even if you have gotten a vaccine.

“One [dose] is not enough,” he said, adding, for the time being, people should still avoid indoor settings without a mask.

“Getting in closed spaces with a person who may not have any symptoms at all or who may have really minor symptoms can be a major source of transmission.”

He says young people who have gotten a first dose of the vaccine are still ending up in the ICU in some cases.

“What I see with COVID, is people either in rooms with tubes up their nose not able to move because they’re so sick or in the ICU with tubes down their throat,” he said.

“Our ICU’s full of people, two people in one room. So I am very cautious.”

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Gregson also says if you work at a restaurant and you have the choice, work on the patio to avoid being in an enclosed space and continue wearing a mask.

He encourages people to keep practicing COVID-19 safety measures, especially for people who work in public settings, and get vaccinated if you haven’t already.

He says people who haven’t got at least their first shot are playing a form of roulette.

“You can’t rely on herd immunity to protect you in the long term… It doesn’t protect you as an individual if you get infected,” he said.

“These vaccines we’re giving now are really safe and they’re going to protect [you] from getting sick.”

-with files from Kayla Bruch

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