As health officials in Canada and abroad continue to struggle to contain the novel coronavirus, which has now infected more than 298,000 people worldwide, many questions remain unanswered.
One question that is top of mind for many Canadians is whether an outbreak of this magnitude could happen again, and if this is going to become the new normal.
Dr. Jason Kindrachuk, an assistant professor and Canada Research Chair in emerging viruses at the University of Manitoba, said “unfortunately” we can’t predict the frequency of outbreaks or pandemics.
“For example, with influenza, the time periods between pandemics seem to range from 8-40 years,” he wrote in an email to Global News. “We will undoubtedly see the emergence and re-emergence of viruses across the globe (e.g. Ebola virus, Zika virus, Nipah virus etc.)”
Story continues below advertisement
2:01 Enforcing the recommendations amid the COVID-19 pandemic
Enforcing the recommendations amid the COVID-19 pandemic
In a previous interview with Global News, Kindrachuk said there are a “plethora of viruses” that we have not yet identified that circulate in nature and have the potential to “spill over into humans and animals.”
“We can’t predict whether we’re going to see, you know, worse viruses or more deadly viruses,” he said. “What we can say is that we will absolutely see spillovers of other viruses and of new viruses.“
Craig Janes, director of the school of public health at the University of Waterloo, said when it comes to these types of viruses, humans are the “victims of natural processes.”
He said most of the novel viruses that emerge — like COVID-19 — which the population has no immunity to are zoonotic.
“So they’re coming from animals,” he said.
“They’re crossing the species barrier from animals to humans mutating to human transmission.”
Tweet This
He said researchers have been predicting this type out outbreak for a while, due to a few factors.
“We have climate change [and] changing ecologies,” he said. “You have dense populations with population growth, interacting with animals in different ways,” he said. “And we’ve created this kind of, if you will, this opportunity for these organisms — these viruses — to make this jump.”
1:05 Coronavirus outbreak: Trudeau tells Canadians ‘it’s going to get bad’
Coronavirus outbreak: Trudeau tells Canadians ‘it’s going to get bad’
It’s believed this novel coronavirus began in a “wet market” in Wuhan, China, where, like many other markets in Asia, farmed and exotic animals are tied up or stacked in cages. Many are killed on-site to ensure freshness.
Story continues below advertisement
The markets are considered breeding grounds for new and dangerous infections, health experts say, because the close contact between humans and live exotic animals makes it easier for viruses to jump between species. SARS originated from the same type of market in 2003.
Kindrachuk said this novel coronavirus outbreak should serve as “somewhat of a wake-up call” that even viruses with a low fatality rate can have “major, major public health issues globally.”
Kindrachuk said what we will learn from this pandemic are the factors that contributed to the “emergence and spread of the virus,” and how we can better prepare for these types of events globally.
According to Kindrachuk, the pandemic also points to the need for local, national and international pandemic preparedness plans.
0:35 Coronavirus outbreak: Canada working with commercial airlines to repatriate stranded citizens
Coronavirus outbreak: Canada working with commercial airlines to repatriate stranded citizens
“We are never going to be able to be 100 per cent prepared for every virus because we haven’t identified all the viruses yet,” he said. “What we do need is we need to have at least some common path forward, so that if and when these things happen, we have a coordinated effort to at least try to contain them at the point of spillover.”
Janes too said while this will not be the last outbreak, it’s difficult to determine when it will happen again.
Story continues below advertisement
“Whether it’s going to happen next year or the year after that, I think this is unknown,” he said.
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, as of 9 a.m. ET on Saturday, there were 1,048 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Canada, with the majority reported in Ontario and B.C.
In response to the outbreak, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has closed Canada’s borders to foreign travellers, and health officials have asked Canadians to stay home whenever possible and to practice social distancing in order to limit the virus’ spread.
2:44 Coronavirus outbreak: Ontario premier says government ‘ready’ if further provincial lockdown needed
Coronavirus outbreak: Ontario premier says government ‘ready’ if further provincial lockdown needed
Janes said he hopes after this pandemic is over, Canada will think about whether it has the scientific capacity and leadership necessary to deal with these types of public health emergencies.
“Do we have a public health system that’s integrated both at the federal [level] and integrates the provinces that allows us to do the research and respond effectively?” Janes said.
What’s more, in the future, Janes said as a “high-income country” with a large university system, Canada should join other countries in leading and “identifying hotspots for the emergence of these viruses.”
“That’s really our best hope,” he said.
9:50 Coronavirus outbreak: A timeline of how COVID-19 spread around world
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Health officials say the risk is low for Canadians but warn this could change quickly. They caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are asked to self-isolate for 14 days in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others.
Story continues below advertisement
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. And if you get sick, stay at home.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.
EDMONTON – Ontario country artist Jade Eagleson has won album of the year at the 2024 Canadian Country Music Association Awards in Edmonton.
The singer from Bailieboro, Ont., was up for six awards alongside Alberta’s MacKenzie Porter.
Eagleson took home album of the year for “Do It Anyway” and says he’s thankful to his wife and management team for helping him reach the level he’s at.
The James Barker Band from Woodville, Ont., also won fans’ choice and group of the year at the award show, held in Edmonton.
During their acceptance speech, frontman Barker hinted at new music and a possible tour in 2025.
Another Ontario crooner, Josh Ross, has taken home a trio of awards, receiving entertainer of the year, male artist of the year and single of the year.
He says he and his band play roughly 150 shows every year and are never home, but says taking home entertainer of the year makes the hard work worth it.
Porter took home female artist of the year, ending the five-year streak of Tenille Townes being awarded the coveted hardware.
Porter had been nominated seven times previously for the award in the past decade but hadn’t won until tonight.
The artist from Medicine Hat, Alta., says it takes a lot of hard work and hustle to succeed as a female in the country music industry and gave a shout out to her fellow singers and her newborn daughter.
Joining the two artists in the winners’ circle was Ontario singer-songwriter Owen Riegling, who won for breakthrough artist of the year.
The show began with American artist and co-host Thomas Rhett being dubbed an honorary Canadian by Edmonton Oilers players Corey Perry and Leon Draisaitl.
Rhett donned an Oilers jersey that was gifted to him by the pair.
The return of k.d. lang and the Reclines was expected to be a highlight of the show.
The appearance will mark the first time the Alberta songstress has teamed up with the band in 35 years and is tied to lang’s induction into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame.
The awards show is back in Alberta’s capital for the first time since 2014. It was held in Hamilton last year and in Calgary in 2022.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2024.
VANDERHOOF, B.C. – British Columbia Conservatives are promising changes they say will bring more stability to the province’s struggling forest industry.
Leader John Rustad announced his plan for the sector a week before the official launch of the provincial election campaign, saying a Conservative government would do away with stumpage fees paid when timber is harvested and instead put a tax on the final products that are produced.
Rustad said Saturday that under a provincial Conservative government, a small fee may be charged upfront, but the bulk would come at the end of the process, depending on what type of product is created.
He also promised to review how wildfires are managed, as well as streamline the permit process and review what he calls the province’s “uncompetitive cost structure.”
“British Columbia is by far the highest cost producers of any jurisdiction in North America. We need to be able to drive down those costs, so that our forest sector can actually be able to do the reinvestment, to be able to create the jobs and make sure that they’re still there to be able to support our communities,” he said.
The governing New Democrats meanwhile, say eliminating stumpage fees would inflame the softwood lumber dispute with the United States and hurt forestry workers.
In a statement issued by the NDP, Andrew Mercier, the party’s candidate in Langley-Willowbrook, said Rustad failed to support the industry when he was in government under the former BC Liberals.
“Not only will Rustad’s old thinking and recycled ideas fail to deliver, his proposal to eliminate stumpage would inflame the softwood lumber dispute — punishing forestry workers and communities,” Mercier said, accusing Rustad of ignoring the complexity of the challenges facing the industry.
The softwood lumber dispute between the U.S. and Canada stretches back decades. In August, the U.S. Department of Commerce nearly doubled duties on softwood lumber.
International Trade Minister Mary Ng has said Canada has taken steps to launch two legal challenges under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement.
Rustad said a provincial Conservative government would push hard to get a deal with the United States over the ongoing dispute “whether it’s with the rest of Canada or by itself.”
He said his party’s proposed changes are in the name of bringing “stability” and “hope” to the industry that has seen multiple closures of mills in rural communities over the last several years.
Most recently, Canfor Corp. decided to shutter two northern British Columbia sawmills earlier this month, leaving hundreds of workers unemployed by the end of the year.
According to the United Steelworkers union, Canfor has closed 10 mills in the province since November 2011, including nine in northern B.C.
Jeff Bromley, chair of the United Steelworkers wood council, said Saturday the idea of changes in favour of taxing the final product has been floated in the past.
He said the finer details of the Conservative plan will be important, but that the system needs to be improved and “new ideas are certainly something I’d be willing to entertain.”
“Something needs to happen, or the industry is just going to bleed and wither away and be a shadow of its former self,” Bromley said.
“Politics aside, if (Rustad) can come up with a policy that enables my members to work, then I would be supportive of that. But then I’m supportive of any government that would come up with policies and fibre for our mills to run. Period.”
When Canfor announced its latest closures, Forests Minister Bruce Ralston said the sector was a “foundational part” of the province and the current NDP government would work to support both local jobs and wood manufacturing operations.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2024
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers placed All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve because of his lingering calf and Achilles tendon injuries.
The move made Saturday means McCaffrey will miss at least four more games after already sitting out the season opener. He is eligible to return for a Thursday night game in Seattle on Oct. 10.
McCaffrey got hurt early in training camp and missed four weeks of practice before returning to the field on a limited basis last week. He was a late scratch for the opener on Monday night against the Jets and now is sidelined again after experiencing pain following practice on Thursday.
McCaffrey led the NFL last season with 2,023 yards from scrimmage and was tied for the league lead with 21 touchdowns, winning AP Offensive Player of the Year.
The Niners made up for McCaffrey’s absence thanks to a strong performance from backup Jordan Mason, who had 28 carries for 147 yards and a touchdown in San Francisco’s 32-19 victory over the New York Jets. Mason is set to start again Sunday at Minnesota.
After missing 23 games because of injuries in his final two full seasons with Carolina, McCaffrey had been healthy the past two seasons.
He missed only one game combined in 2022-23 — a meaningless Week 18 game last season for San Francisco when he had a sore calf. His 798 combined touches from scrimmage in the regular season and playoffs were the third most for any player in a two-year span in the past 10 years.
Now San Francisco will likely rely heavily on Mason, a former undrafted free agent out of Georgia Tech who had 83 carries his first two seasons. He had at least 10 touches just twice before the season opener, when his 28 carries were the most by a 49ers player in a regular-season game since Frank Gore had 31 against Seattle on Oct. 30, 2011.
The Niners also have fourth-round rookie Isaac Guerendo and Patrick Taylor Jr. on the active roster. Guerendo played three offensive snaps with no touches in the opener. Taylor had 65 carries for Green Bay from 2021-23.
San Francisco also elevated safety Tracy Walker III from the practice squad for Sunday’s game against Minnesota.
