How vaccines fit in your protection against Omicron.
Ontario third dose eligibility expands, with technical and capacity problems.
Ottawa is working to speed up its vaccine campaign.
Every Thursday, CBC Ottawa brings you this roundup of COVID-19 vaccination developments throughout the region. You can find more information through links at the bottom of the page.
There have been more than 3.9 million doses administered in the wider Ottawa-Gatineau region, more than 90,000 of them in the last week, which is more than the week before.
This checkup will go on hiatus for the holidays after next week’s edition.
Provincial picture
The quickly spreading Omicron variant is taking hold in Ontario, replacing the Delta variant as the dominant coronavirus strain.
A leading member of its science table says third COVID-19 vaccine doses are important, but don’t offer bulletproof protection and won’t turn around spread on their own.
First and second doses offer some protection.
WATCH | The latest data about Pfizer’s protection against Omicron:
Pfizer vaccine less effective against omicron, new data shows
1 day ago
Duration 2:02
New data gathered in South Africa suggests Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine is less effective at preventing infections caused by the omicron variant, but the shot is still helpful in preventing hospitalization from the virus. 2:02
Experts generally agree people should avoid travel and large groups and give themselves as much protection as they can if they choose to gather, including getting every vaccine dose they’re eligible for.
COVID-19 caution should be part of holiday events, experts say
3 days ago
Duration 2:12
With the holidays around the corner, experts are reminding Canadians to get vaccinated and remain cautious about attending events amid the spread of the omicron variant. 2:12
Among other changes in Ontario, children age 12 to 17 will need to show proof of vaccination for sports and recreation activities as of Dec. 20 — which some health units already require — with QR codes on all proof of vaccination and medical exemptions next month, plus the province is changing long-term care rules.
Its proof of vaccination program won’t end next month as originally planned.
Eighty-eight per cent of Quebec residents age five and up have had at least one dose and 81 per cent are fully vaccinated.
About 85 per cent of Ontario residents born in 2016 and earlier have at least one vaccine dose, while about 81 per cent are fully vaccinated.
Ottawa
In a memo to city council on Wednesday, Medical Officer of Health Dr. Vera Etches said Ottawa Public Health (OPH) is reassigning employees and reaching out to qualified people to help it rapidly scale up its vaccination capacity.
Ottawa allergists ‘overwhelmed’ by residents seeking vaccine advice, exemptions, doctor says
2 days ago
Duration 1:13
Dr. Tim Olynych, an allergist in Ottawa, says he’s seen an increase in the number of people seeking advice about the COVID-19 vaccine or an exemption from vaccine requirements, including some demanding exemption letters without a valid reason. 1:13
Of the city’s total population of just over one million, 84 per cent of residents have had at least one dose, including 88 per cent of residents born in 2016 or earlier.
Seventy-eight per cent of the total population is fully vaccinated, as are 82 per cent of the population age five and older.
About 100,000 residents have had a third dose.
This combined bar and line graph shows vaccination numbers for Ottawa residents born in 2016 or earlier. Eighty per cent of residents age 18 to 29 are fully vaccinated, the last age group to hit that mark. (Ottawa Public Health)
Western Quebec
CISSSO continues to list recurring, mobile and pop-up clinics online. People are urged to make an appointment through the online system, but there are a few walk-in options for first and second doses.
Among them include an appointment-only clinic for recently eligible children at Kingston’s Holy Cross Secondary School Thursday and a drive-thru third dose clinic by appointment only at Kingston’s St. Lawrence College campus parking lot Saturday.
WATCH | A Q&A on the worst-case Omicron scenario:
COVID-19: What is the worst-case scenario with omicron?
1 day ago
Duration 7:16
Infectious diseases specialist Dr. Susy Hota and Dr. Peter Juni, the scientific director of Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, discuss the growing wave of omicron cases including what people need to understand and the possible worst-case scenario. 7:16
About 89 per cent of its population age five and older has at least one vaccine dose and about 83 per cent of that group is fully vaccinated.
The region has had more than 372,000 vaccine doses — combined first, second and third — given to residents.
More than 45 per cent of the region’s approximately 13,000 recently eligible children have been vaccinated. More than 26,000 residents have had a third dose.
Details for its vaccine clinics are regularly shared on its website and social media. It prefers people try a pharmacy or family doctor for their third dose before a community clinic.
Among the options for the coming weeks are clinics in Winchester Monday and Hawkesbury Tuesday afternoon.
COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics December 16 and 17 in ROCKLAND and CORNWALL for individuals 5+. Hundreds of appointments have been added for the 12+ population. Book your appointment today: <a href=”https://t.co/3LsMt52nnX”>https://t.co/3LsMt52nnX</a> <a href=”https://t.co/fZ0tGS81Js”>pic.twitter.com/fZ0tGS81Js</a>
More than 357,000 vaccine doses have been administered, including more than 16,000 third doses.
About 85 per cent of residents five and older are partially vaccinated, including about 28 per cent of its five-to-11 population, and about 80 per cent are fully vaccinated.
Leeds, Grenville and Lanark
Because of the new demand from children and those seeking a third dose, the health unit is not offering walk-in vaccinations at this time.
Clinic locations and hours are listed online and on social media; space for walk-ins may open up from time to time and they’ll share it online if it does.
We are trying hard to ensure that kids age 5-11 don’t stay vulnerable to COVID. We’ve set up some special *Child & Youth Only* clinics (ages 5-25) at local schools (not during school). Anyone age 5-25 can book into these clinics with this special link: <a href=”https://t.co/ZHFIOz5YuP”>https://t.co/ZHFIOz5YuP</a> <a href=”https://t.co/3SILM1aO2d”>pic.twitter.com/3SILM1aO2d</a>
About 286,000 doses have been administered to this area’s residents, including about 17,000 third doses.
Eighty-five per cent of the local population age five and older has had at least has a first dose, including about 3,600 doses for kids age five to 11. Seventy-eight per cent of eligible residents are fully vaccinated.
Renfrew County’s health unit has distributed nearly 167,000 doses.
Ninety per cent of its population above age 12, including military at Garrison Petawawa, have at least a first dose and about 87 per cent are fully vaccinated. Younger children aren’t yet included in this data.
About 1,500 recently eligible children have been vaccinated and another 1,000 had an appointment, the health unit said in a news release Monday, which is less than half the approximately 6,000 children in this age group.
Vaccinating these kids can help avoid isolation and potential trips to CHEO, eastern Ontario’s children’s hospital in Ottawa, it said.
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.
