Eligible Albertans can start making appointments for the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, and upgrades have been made that officials believe will prevent a repeat of last month’s system crash.
Starting Wednesday, Albertans 50 to 64 years old, as well as First Nations, Metis and Inuit people 35 to 49 years old, who do not have a severe chronic illness can call 811 or make appointments through the online portal.
There are roughly 400,000 Albertans who fall in those age groups, the province said Monday.
AHS said it upgraded its online portal on March 3 to increase capacity and make it more convenient for Albertans to make an appointment. The health authority is also adding staff to support 811.
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“The system has been improved by making several upgrades, including adding more servers to support the website and increasing processing power.
“More network bandwidth has also been added, meaning the network can manage a higher volume of data than before,” reads a statement from AHS to Global News.
2:18 Alberta to begin offering AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to those eligible
Alberta to begin offering AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to those eligible
“It’s encouraging that there has been such a high demand. At the same time, these challenges should have been anticipated,” Dr. Ilan Schwartz, an infectious disease professor at the University of Alberta, said about last month’s booking issues.
“We’ve had over a year now to plan for the ultimate rollout of vaccinations.
“I hope that increasing capacity will be able, from the IT perspective, and having people managing phones etc., is going to be able to manage that increase.”
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1:11 Alberta Health Minister says AHS is ‘fixing the the problems’ with COVID-19 vaccine booking system
Alberta Health Minister says AHS is ‘fixing the the problems’ with COVID-19 vaccine booking system – Feb 24, 2021
Bookings will take place by year of birth, one day at a time, while supply lasts. Albertans born in 1957, or those First Nations, Metis or Inuit born in 1972, can start booking appointments Wednesday. Those born in later years can book in the subsequent days.
Dr. Noel Gibney, co-chair of the Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Association’s (EZMSA) pandemic response committee, is hopeful this change, and other upgrades, will make a difference.
“I think it appears AHS has certainly learned a lot since the first rollout,” he said.
“I certainly think it will be an improvement. Only time will tell whether or not people will obey and not book on the days they are not supposed to book.”
The portal is able to book approximately 100,000 appointments over a 24-hour period, according to AHS.
Dr. Don Wilson, a community physician and president of the community physicians’ division of the EZMSA, said there are indications Wednesday’s bookings will run smoother than the last time around but he does not expect completely smooth sailing.
“I still think it’s going to be slightly overwhelmed, or at least long waits to get people into queue, mainly because you’re dealing with a much larger population than dealing with the over 75,” he said.
More pharmacies have been tasked with vaccinating Albertans against COVID-19, but Wilson said vaccine rollout could speed up if family doctors were involved.
“We’re missing opportunity here to get this vaccine out. Physicians are always willing to help out. Really, it’s part of the tool chest,” he said.
1:51 COVID-19 vaccines set to be delivered at some Alberta pharmacies
COVID-19 vaccines set to be delivered at some Alberta pharmacies – Feb 24, 2021
As of last Friday, Alberta Health told Global News that work is underway to potentially include community physicians in later phases of the rollout.
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“We will update Albertans in the weeks ahead as vaccine supply increases, and Alberta’s immunization program expands,” said spokesperson Christa Jubinville.
Definition of severe chronic illness unclear
While upgrades to the booking system have been made, it is still unclear how the province is defining “severe chronic illness” for those it does not believe should get the AstraZeneca vaccine.
On Monday, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw acknowledged that, without a definition, it is confusing and said work on a list of what qualifies as a severe chronic illness is being made.
“With AstraZeneca coming sooner than anticipated, unfortunately, I recognize the timing isn’t ideal for those trying to decide if they should get AstraZeneca or not. We will be making that list available publicly very soon,” she said.
At this point, it is not clear whether a list will be available before bookings for the AstraZeneca vaccine start Wednesday.
7:02 Should AstraZeneca be given to seniors? Doctor answers top COVID-19 questions
Should AstraZeneca be given to seniors? Doctor answers top COVID-19 questions
Schwartz, who is of the opinion the AstraZeneca vaccine should not be withheld from any age group, said the situation about severe chronic illnesses isn’t binary, saying everyone has some degree of wellness or illness on the spectrum.
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He stresses that there have been no signals the vaccine is unsafe or lacks efficacy in particular age groups or based on comorbidities, saying there was not enough data from the clinical trials to make definitive conclusions.
However, he said the lack of a clear definition for Albertans is confusing.
“I think that people should expect that unless they already know they have a serious illness that they should expect by default that they are eligible for the AstraZeneca vaccine.
“Those individuals that do have severe illnesses will know that is the case,” Schwartz said.
Vaccination will lead to protection
The province has said that Albertans who fall into Wednesday’s eligibility could also wait until later in the year to receive the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.
Schwartz is encouraging people to get the vaccine that is offered to them as quickly as possible.
“There is no protection while we’re waiting for another vaccine to be coming down the line. The faster you get vaccinated, the faster you’re going to be protected,” he said.
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Gibney, meanwhile, said real-life trials of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Scotland have shown the vaccine functions well and prevents severe illness.
“From my perspective, I would say to anyone within that age group – don’t hesitate. Get your vaccination as quickly as you can and the best vaccine is the one you can get most rapidly,” he said.
2:07 Coronavirus: Italy approves AstraZeneca vaccine for people over 65 as death toll nears 100,000
Coronavirus: Italy approves AstraZeneca vaccine for people over 65 as death toll nears 100,000
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese technology group SoftBank swung back to profitability in the July-September quarter, boosted by positive results in its Vision Fund investments.
Tokyo-based SoftBank Group Corp. reported Tuesday a fiscal second quarter profit of nearly 1.18 trillion yen ($7.7 billion), compared with a 931 billion yen loss in the year-earlier period.
Quarterly sales edged up about 6% to nearly 1.77 trillion yen ($11.5 billion).
SoftBank credited income from royalties and licensing related to its holdings in Arm, a computer chip-designing company, whose business spans smartphones, data centers, networking equipment, automotive, consumer electronic devices, and AI applications.
The results were also helped by the absence of losses related to SoftBank’s investment in office-space sharing venture WeWork, which hit the previous fiscal year.
WeWork, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2023, emerged from Chapter 11 in June.
SoftBank has benefitted in recent months from rising share prices in some investment, such as U.S.-based e-commerce company Coupang, Chinese mobility provider DiDi Global and Bytedance, the Chinese developer of TikTok.
SoftBank’s financial results tend to swing wildly, partly because of its sprawling investment portfolio that includes search engine Yahoo, Chinese retailer Alibaba, and artificial intelligence company Nvidia.
SoftBank makes investments in a variety of companies that it groups together in a series of Vision Funds.
The company’s founder, Masayoshi Son, is a pioneer in technology investment in Japan. SoftBank Group does not give earnings forecasts.
Shopify Inc. executives brushed off concerns that incoming U.S. President Donald Trump will be a major detriment to many of the company’s merchants.
“There’s nothing in what we’ve heard from Trump, nor would there have been anything from (Democratic candidate) Kamala (Harris), which we think impacts the overall state of new business formation and entrepreneurship,” Shopify’s chief financial officer Jeff Hoffmeister told analysts on a call Tuesday.
“We still feel really good about all the merchants out there, all the entrepreneurs that want to start new businesses and that’s obviously not going to change with the administration.”
Hoffmeister’s comments come a week after Trump, a Republican businessman, trounced Harris in an election that will soon return him to the Oval Office.
On the campaign trail, he threatened to impose tariffs of 60 per cent on imports from China and roughly 10 per cent to 20 per cent on goods from all other countries.
If the president-elect makes good on the promise, many worry the cost of operating will soar for companies, including customers of Shopify, which sells e-commerce software to small businesses but also brands as big as Kylie Cosmetics and Victoria’s Secret.
These merchants may feel they have no choice but to pass on the increases to customers, perhaps sparking more inflation.
If Trump’s tariffs do come to fruition, Shopify’s president Harley Finkelstein pointed out China is “not a huge area” for Shopify.
However, “we can’t anticipate what every presidential administration is going to do,” he cautioned.
He likened the uncertainty facing the business community to the COVID-19 pandemic where Shopify had to help companies migrate online.
“Our job is no matter what comes the way of our merchants, we provide them with tools and service and support for them to navigate it really well,” he said.
Finkelstein was questioned about the forthcoming U.S. leadership change on a call meant to delve into Shopify’s latest earnings, which sent shares soaring 27 per cent to $158.63 shortly after Tuesday’s market open.
The Ottawa-based company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, reported US$828 million in net income for its third quarter, up from US$718 million in the same quarter last year, as its revenue rose 26 per cent.
Revenue for the period ended Sept. 30 totalled US$2.16 billion, up from US$1.71 billion a year earlier.
Subscription solutions revenue reached US$610 million, up from US$486 million in the same quarter last year.
Merchant solutions revenue amounted to US$1.55 billion, up from US$1.23 billion.
Shopify’s net income excluding the impact of equity investments totalled US$344 million for the quarter, up from US$173 million in the same quarter last year.
Daniel Chan, a TD Cowen analyst, said the results show Shopify has a leadership position in the e-commerce world and “a continued ability to gain market share.”
In its outlook for its fourth quarter of 2024, the company said it expects revenue to grow at a mid-to-high-twenties percentage rate on a year-over-year basis.
“Q4 guidance suggests Shopify will finish the year strong, with better-than-expected revenue growth and operating margin,” Chan pointed out in a note to investors.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
TORONTO – RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust says it has cut almost 10 per cent of its staff as it deals with a slowdown in the condo market and overall pushes for greater efficiency.
The company says the cuts, which amount to around 60 employees based on its last annual filing, will mean about $9 million in restructuring charges and should translate to about $8 million in annualized cash savings.
The job cuts come as RioCan and others scale back condo development plans as the market softens, but chief executive Jonathan Gitlin says the reductions were from a companywide efficiency effort.
RioCan says it doesn’t plan to start any new construction of mixed-use properties this year and well into 2025 as it adjusts to the shifting market demand.
The company reported a net income of $96.9 million in the third quarter, up from a loss of $73.5 million last year, as it saw a $159 million boost from a favourable change in the fair value of investment properties.
RioCan reported what it says is a record-breaking 97.8 per cent occupancy rate in the quarter including retail committed occupancy of 98.6 per cent.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
