This is an excerpt from Second Opinion, a weekly roundup of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers every Saturday morning. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here.
The end of the pandemic may be finally within sight in Canada, after incredible progress has been made battling back the spread of COVID-19 with widespread vaccination uptake and dogged adherence to strict public health measures across the country.
More than 15 months of immeasurably hard work is now paying off, and we’re poised to cross the finish line and possibly shift our focus to helping other countries get there sooner for the greater good of humanity.
Canadians should be rewarded for their efforts to end the third (and hopefully last) wave of COVID-19 and soon return to a somewhat normal pre-pandemic style of life — without the constant fear of the unknown that lies ahead with this relentless virus.
But nothing is set in stone with COVID-19, and that uncertainty in the coming weeks and months is dividing experts on what to do next — leading some to call for reopening more quickly, while others suggest we move more cautiously as the pandemic recedes.
A couple hug while enjoying the sunset at English Bay in Vancouver on June 19. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
Delta variant poses new ‘challenge’
One wildcard Canada has been dealt in recent weeks is the highly transmissible delta variant, also known as B.1.617.2, which could single-handedly disrupt our endgame plans and make our vaccination targets even more pressing.
“The issue is delta. We’re obviously much better off than we were in March, but we’re facing the same challenge,” said Dr. Allison McGeer, a medical microbiologist and infectious disease specialist at Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital.
“Three months ago, before we had delta, it really did look like we were all going to get vaccinated and it was going to be fine — but this virus is just more difficult than that.”
Dr. Michael Gardam, an infectious diseases expert in Toronto and acting CEO for Health PEI, says he’s approaching the summer with “cautious optimism.”
“If it weren’t for the delta variant, I think there would be a lot more optimism. But I think that we still have the majority of Canadians who are not really protected,” he said.
“It’s bizarre, but we really haven’t changed things that much yet because of that variant, and the fact that the vaccines, with only one dose, are only about a 30 per cent efficacy. So that’s the challenge.”
WATCH | What you need to know about the delta variant:
A respirologist breaks down what is known about the coronavirus delta variant, including what makes it different, how dangerous it is and whether vaccines protect against it. 4:26
Federal health officials urge caution with reopening
Despite the spread of delta, Canada’s COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue to fall week-over-week thanks to more than 37 million doses of vaccines given to date — the equivalent of almost the entire population of the country.
Almost 80 per cent of eligible Canadians have at least one dose while about 35 per cent have two — and that number is growing rapidly by the day.
But top federal public health officials are still extremely cautious with their messaging to Canadians out of a fear of provinces and territories lifting restrictions too soon, seeing a surge in COVID-19 levels and prompting another brutal wave or devastating lockdown.
Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam says that while there is currently an average of fewer than 640 COVID-19 cases per week, under 1,000 hospitalized and less than 500 patients in ICUs, now is not the time to let our guard down.
“We do have to be quite cautious, because the provinces are just beginning to open up, and then we will see what happens,” she said during a news conference Tuesday.
“Even though we have a good dose of coverage, we still need to, I think, go higher. And quite a number of people haven’t had the full vaccination.”
Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Howard Njoo even said he “would love to have 100 per cent coverage for both doses” in Canada — an almost impossibly high goal that is a far cry from the 75 per cent with one dose and 20 per cent with two set in late May.
Officials accused of ‘moving goalposts’ on reopening
Some experts are critical of the “pessimistic” messaging coming from federal health officials at a time when Canadians should be celebrating the progress we’ve made, the drop in COVID-19 levels the vaccines have provided and the safe activities available to us.
“Public health messaging has been pessimistic, both from the federal level and for us specifically in Ontario,” said Dr. Sumon Chakrabarti, an infectious disease specialist at Trillium Health Partners in Mississauga.
He added that can have a negative effect on the general public’s perception of the pandemic.
“We are in the best position we’ve been in and people are more scared than they were a year ago, when we had no vaccine.”
Despite the spread of delta, Canada’s COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue to fall week-over-week, thanks to more than 37 million doses of vaccines given to date. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)
Dr. Fahad Razak, an epidemiologist and internist with St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, said the effectiveness of the vaccines has proven to be a “scientific miracle” and should be kept “front of mind in all of our public health messaging.”
“We have had a very tough 15 months with this pandemic, we’ve had some of the longest durations and severities of public health restrictions in the world,” he said.
“Canadians have accepted and followed those recommendations really admirably, and there should be a recognition that we’ve made incredible grounds in the last few months.”
Chakrabarti says the persistent negative tone in messaging from some federal and provincial health officials has caused them to “lose the room” and is fuelling “the anxiety of reopening” while possibly “undermining vaccine efficacy.”
“You have people that are fully vaccinated and still worried for their life; you have people that are going to say, ‘What’s the point of getting vaccinated?’ So it actually feeds into vaccine hesitancy,” he said.
“Others feel like the rug’s been pulled out or that they’re moving goalposts.… People become dismayed, they don’t see any hope.”
‘We’re not closing again’
On the same day Tam said she was not in favour of lifting mandatory masking mandates despite the fact the 75-20 vaccine threshold had been surpassed, British Columbia announced masks would be recommended but no longer mandatory.
“Yes we want to release restrictions as quickly as we can, but the other side of it is that none of us, I don’t think, want to be facing another wave with an increased number of deaths and hospitalizations and the potential to have to shut down again,” McGeer said.
“It’s really challenging for governments and public health to walk the line of what’s the most relaxed we can be before we get into trouble, and how much worse is it to go slow versus having to go back?”
Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam says that while there is currently an average of fewer than 640 COVID-19 cases per week, under 1,000 people hospitalized and less than 500 patients in ICUs, now is not the time to let our guard down. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
Gardam says that while some experts have said it’s not possible to vaccinate our way out of the pandemic entirely, it is possible to get close to doing so with one caveat: If you relax restrictions too early, the virus will find vulnerable populations to infect.
Chakrabarti says that given the fact that seniors, long-term care residents and other populations at risk of severe outcomes have largely been vaccinated, a surge in cases driven by delta won’t be nearly as severe as in the past.
But McGeer says there is still too much unknown about what impact the spread of delta in Canada might have in the coming weeks and months to relax restrictions entirely yet.
“We don’t know how many people have to be vaccinated to slow this down. We don’t know how well people are protected against severe disease from delta,” she said. “We’re really in a very uncertain time.”
Gardam says his biggest concern right now isn’t necessarily the spread of delta itself, but the inability of Canadians to endure another lockdown in the future.
“God help us if we get into a fourth wave where you have to shut everything down again. I mean, can you even fathom what the public would do with that? To me, that is an absolute no-go zone,” he said.
“This is it. We’re not closing again. So please, let’s not do anything so rash that we actually force ourselves to close again.”
This is an excerpt from Second Opinion, a weekly roundup of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers every Saturday morning. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here.
VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.
The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.
The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.
The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.
The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.
MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.
In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.
“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.
“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”
In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.
“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.
The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.
“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”
The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.
The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.
A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.
Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.
Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.
Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.
“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.
“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”
Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.
“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.
Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.
“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”
But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.
Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.
“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.
Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.
The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
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