As Canada continues its Covid-19 vaccine rollout and works towards vaccinating the general public, people have questions about the specifics of the vaccines that are being administered by health professionals.
The Government of Saskatchewan wants all residents to feel comfortable receiving the vaccine when it’s readily available to the general population and has plenty of resources accessible to give people a better understanding of the vaccines.
According to the Government of Saskatchewan:
• Scientists all over the world have worked on developing and testing Covid-19 vaccines.
• The technology was recently applied to this situation, but the work has been going on for years.
• Approved Covid-19 vaccines use “messenger RNA” to make the body produce antibodies to fight the virus. It is not DNA, and has no effect on a person’s genes. It only triggers the body’s immune response, to help it get ready to fight the virus.
• Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are 95 per cent effective in preventing people from getting Covid-19. Two doses are required for the highest effectiveness.
• There have been no shortcuts taken in developing Covid-19 vaccines. They have gone through all the necessary steps. Clinical trials began March 1, 2020 and have involved many thousands of people. Scientific validation and thorough, independent reviews followed.
• Development of Covid-19 vaccines was done more quickly because of unprecedented worldwide funding and collaboration due to the pandemic.
• Canada has real-time access to manufacturer clinical data for promising Covid-19 vaccines being developed. Health Canada fast-tracks approvals by reviewing data as it comes instead of waiting until all the data is in to start to review it.
According to the provincial government, there is a lot of misinformation circulating about the vaccine—including that Covid-19 vaccines contain human or animal cells. They do not. Make sure to seek information from credible, science-based sources.
To develop immunity to Covid-19, the human body must learn how to stop by creating antibodies that can fight against it and that’s where the vaccine comes into play.
According to the Government of Saskatchewan’s health professionals the mRNA vaccines teach human cells how to make a protein that will trigger an immune response without using the live virus that causes Covid-19. Once triggered, the human body then makes antibodies. The antibodies help fight the infection if the real virus does enter the body in the future. The vaccine is given as a needle in the upper arm. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will require two doses.
As of now the vaccine is being prioritized for health workers and high risk Canadians, but as it becomes more readily available to the general public the most people are encouraged to get vaccinated with a few exceptions.
There has been some concern over different groups potentially struggling to tolerate the vaccine, but other than pregnant women, children, and those allergic to ingredients, there is no definite reason to worry—those worried due to other health risks are encourage to speak with their doctor.
Based on the clinical trials and the approval by Health Canada, the vaccines should not be given to people who are allergic to any of the vaccine ingredients, including polyethylene glycol. At this time the vaccine has not been studied in pregnant and breastfeeding women and younger children—pregnant women and people with conditions that affect their immune system should consult their health care provider. Even if a person has already had a Covid-19 infection, they should still receive the vaccine once they’ve recovered. We expect to receive more detailed information from the vaccine manufacturers and Health Canada as soon as it’s available.
After having the vaccine administered some people may feel side effects, but health professionals say that’s not unexpected and unless the side effects are severe there’s no cause for alarm.
There might be some mild symptoms a day or two after receiving the vaccine. The most common side effects are localized pain or redness or swelling at the injection site. Other symptoms may include mild fever, chills, headache, joint or muscle pain, nausea and vomiting, enlarged lymph nodes under the arm, or feeling tired. As with all vaccines, there’s a chance that there will be a serious side effect, but these are rare. A serious side effect might be something like an allergic reaction. All residents will be asked to report any adverse or unexpected reactions to your local public health nurse, a pharmacist, doctor, or nurse practitioner as soon as possible, the government states.
As to why two doses of the vaccine are needed, it’s because one will not create enough antibodies to fight the virus.
According to the governments health professionals, there is no evidence that individuals have a sufficient antibody reaction to only one dose to provide protection from Covid-19.
Two doses are required. When receiving the first dose of the vaccine, people will be provided documentation of which vaccine they have received and when to return for the second dose.
Even after receiving both doses of the vaccine, people still must wear their masks and follow all provincial health and safety guidelines.
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While experts learn more about the protection that Covid-19 vaccines provide under real-life conditions, it will be important to continue using all the public health protection tools available to help stop this pandemic, like wearing a mask, washing your hands frequently and maintaining physical distancing.
Experts need to understand more about the protection that Covid-19 vaccines provide before deciding to change recommendations on steps everyone should take to slow the spread of the virus that causes Covid-19. Other factors, including how many people get vaccinated and how the virus is spreading in communities, will also affect this decision.
As more people become vaccinated, the provincial government will remain focused on transmission rates to make decisions on loosening restrictions, but with the slower than expected rollout of the vaccine, the general population isn’t expected to be vaccinated until the middle of 2021 at the earliest.
The Canadian government says it will donate up to 200,000 vaccine doses to fight the mpox outbreak in Congo and other African countries.
It says the donated doses of Imvamune will come from Canada’s existing supply and will not affect the country’s preparedness for mpox cases in this country.
Minister of Health Mark Holland says the donation “will help to protect those in the most affected regions of Africa and will help prevent further spread of the virus.”
Dr. Madhukar Pai, Canada research chair in epidemiology and global health, says although the donation is welcome, it is a very small portion of the estimated 10 million vaccine doses needed to control the outbreak.
Vaccine donations from wealthier countries have only recently started arriving in Africa, almost a month after the World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
A few days after the declaration in August, Global Affairs Canada announced a contribution of $1 million for mpox surveillance, diagnostic tools, research and community awareness in Africa.
On Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said mpox is still on the rise and that testing rates are “insufficient” across the continent.
Jason Kindrachuk, Canada research chair in emerging viruses at the University of Manitoba, said donating vaccines, in addition to supporting surveillance and diagnostic tests, is “massively important.”
But Kindrachuk, who has worked on the ground in Congo during the epidemic, also said that the international response to the mpox outbreak is “better late than never (but) better never late.”
“It would have been fantastic for us globally to not be in this position by having provided doses a much, much longer time prior than when we are,” he said, noting that the outbreak of clade I mpox in Congo started in early 2023.
Clade II mpox, endemic in regions of West Africa, came to the world’s attention even earlier — in 2022 — as that strain of virus spread to other countries, including Canada.
Two doses are recommended for mpox vaccination, so the donation may only benefit 100,000 people, Pai said.
Pai questioned whether Canada is contributing enough, as the federal government hasn’t said what percentage of its mpox vaccine stockpile it is donating.
“Small donations are simply not going to help end this crisis. We need to show greater solidarity and support,” he said in an email.
“That is the biggest lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic — our collective safety is tied with that of other nations.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
