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Did Covid-19 Vaccines Cause Coronavirus Delta Variants? Here’s What The Timing Says – Forbes

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As they say in life, timing is everything. There are now claims that Covid-19 vaccines have caused the Delta variant of the Covid-19 coronavirus to emerge. For example, here’s something that was posted on Facebook:

There is however one big flaw in such claims. It has to do with the space-time continuum and the lack of a flux capacitor.

Usually a cause has to come before an effect. For example, the song “Friday” by Rebecca Black did not cause the stock market crash of 1929. That’s because the song came out in 2011. And Rebecca Black to the best of our knowledge does not have a time machine.

The same logic should apply when considering the origins of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Delta variant. Take a look at the “Tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants” website from the World Health Organization (WHO). This shows when the different “Variants of Concern” and “Variants of Interest” were first detected. As you can see, all of these variants emerged in 2020. Of the Variants of Concern, the Alpha variant was first found in the United Kingdom (U.K.) in September 2020, the Beta variant in South Africa in May 2020, the Gamma variant in Brazil in November 2020, and the Delta variant in India in October 2020. Of the Variants of Interest, the Eta variant was first detected in multiple countries in December 2020, the Iota in the U.S. in November 2020, the Kappa in India in October 2020, and the Lamba variant in Peru in December 2020.

Next keep in mind when Covid-19 vaccination actually started in different parts of the world. As Krishna N. Das and Mayank Bhardwaj reported for Reuters, Covid-19 vaccination didn’t really begin in India until January 2021, about three months after the Delta variant had emerged. Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna did not receive emergency use authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for their Covid-19 mRNA vaccines until December 2020, the same month that the Astra-Zeneca Covid-19 vaccine first received authorization in the U.K. All of this was after all four of the Variants of Concern had already been spreading.

Then look at where many of these variants have been first detected. Hmm, what do they have in common? Could it be that they have all failed to really control the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus? The U.S., the U.K., India, Brazil, and Peru wouldn’t be the answer to the Jeopardy question, “what countries have done the best at containing the SARS-CoV-2?” These countries are not Taiwan, South Korea, and New Zealand. The U.S., the U.K., India, and Brazil have consistently at or near the top of the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center list of countries with the most reported Covid-19 cases in the world. Peru has topped the globe with the highest per capita Covid-19 related mortality.

This brings us to the real reason variants of the Covid-19 coronavirus have emerged. “They’re multiplying” in the words of John Travolta from the movie Grease. In this case, they means the virus and not the hots for Olivia Newton-John. As I have described previously for Forbes, every time the virus infects a cell and uses the cell like a cheap motel to reproduce, the virus can make mistakes. The virus can be like that drunk person in an office party who decides to use the photocopy machine to make many copies of his or her butt. Each copy may be slightly off, resulting in butt variants when its the bottom line, so to speak, and virus variants when it comes to the Covid-19 coronavirus.

Copying mistakes basically mean that the resulting viruses (i.e., the progeny) may have mutations in them, slightly different genetic codes. Many of these variants may be weaker that the original virus. Such weaker versions may not spread as well. Problems occur when a new resulting variant has characteristics that allow it to spread faster and further like the Delta variant. As with Olympic judo matches or cheese rolling competitions, the stronger end up surviving and prevailing.

So the best way to prevent the emergence and spread of new variants is to better prevent the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus. The way to do that is to maintain Covid-19 precautions such as social distancing and face mask use until enough of the population is fully vaccinated to reach herd immunity thresholds. Once herd immunity thresholds are reached, the Covid-19 coronavirus will struggle to find new people to infect and no longer be able to continue spreading as it has.

The Covid-19 vaccines help protect against the Delta variant. Blaming the vaccines for the emergence of such variants would be like blaming the doctor after you’ve already superglued your genitals to a bobblehead doll. Chances are your doctor never used the words “superglue”, “bobblehead”, “genitals”, and “would be nice” all together in one sentence during a previous clinic visit. In fact, the words “superglue”, “bobblehead” and “genitals” probably shouldn’t be used jointly without special permission.

Again, if you don’t want varying copies of your butt to circulate in the office, don’t sit on the copying machine and press the “Copy” button 1 trillion times. Similarly, failure to control the Covid-19 coronavirus will ultimately lead to more variants. The longer countries like the U.S. go without achieving herd immunity thresholds and without seriously implementing other Covid-19 precautions in the meantime, the greater the chances that worse variants will emerge. Spreading misinformation about the Covid-19 coronavirus and the vaccine may be causing people to not get vaccinated and not maintain Covid-19 precautions now. The unfortunate effects of all this may come later.

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Canada to donate up to 200,000 vaccine doses to combat mpox outbreaks in Africa

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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.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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How many Nova Scotians are on the doctor wait-list? Number hit 160,000 in June

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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.

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Newfoundland and Labrador monitoring rise in whooping cough cases: medical officer

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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.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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