Seven people likely got COVID-19 each day at the Calgary Stampede: officials

CALGARY — After receiving an update from Alberta Health this week, Stampede officials say that 71 people in total likely got COVID-19 while attending the event from July 9 to 18.

They say that through this data provided by the province, about 7 people acquired the virus each day, which equates to about 0.01 per cent of the nearly 530,000 people who attended.

“This year, our community celebration was the first step in the safe return of live events for our city and our country,” said Dana Peers, the Stampede’s interim CEO, in a release on Tuesday. “We believe Stampede 2021 was a success. We committed to operating safely, and these results show the effectiveness of the enhanced safety measures that were put in place.”

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Dr. Jia Hu, the public health physician who was advising the Stampede, says the case count associated with the event wasn’t unexpected and echoed Peers in saying the safety measures put in place, along with vaccines, helped in the event’s success.

Hu says, for context, a total of 749 cases of COVID-19 have been reported over the last two weeks in Alberta.

660 NEWS reached out to Alberta Health regarding the update provided to Stampede officials, in which they responded:

“While a small number of cases were identified, the Calgary Stampede so far does not appear to have been a significant driver of rising COVID-19 cases in the province.

The source of exposure is determined by the local health officials investigating each confirmed case.

This is a testament to the strong public health measures that were put in place by the organizers, as well as the diligent way they were applied and maintained throughout the event.

It is also evidence of the effectiveness of approved vaccines, which have prevented the transmission and severity of COVID-19 cases across the globe since they became available. Nearly 64% of Albertans over 12 years old are currently fully vaccinated and more continue to book appointments every day.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, there are 1,173 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, 725 of which are in the Calgary zone.