Calgary Stampede has been linked to 71 COVID-19 cases

CALGARY — Alberta Health says 71 cases of COVID-19 are likely to have been acquired at the Calgary Stampede, but community spread as a result of those cases is unknown.

Ministry spokesperson Tom McMillan says the 10-day rodeo and festival attended by about 529,000 people isn’t a significant driver, so far, in rising infections in the province. As of Tuesday, the Calgary Zone represented almost 62 per cent of Alberta’s 1,173 active cases. Dr. Stephanie Smith, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Alberta, said it’s too early to know the repercussions of Stampede.

“We can anticipate there will be secondary infections from the initial 71,” Smith said Wednesday. “We need to look over the next two to three weeks to see if we see a jump in those secondary cases.”

Dr. Jia Hu, a doctor who advised Stampede organizers on what precautions to take, said infections acquired at the event represent less than 10 per cent of new cases over the last two weeks. Hu said the low case count speaks to the effectiveness of vaccines and the safety measures that were brought in.