There’s a major flaw in Manitoba’s COVID-19 immunization plan for personal-care homes that has caught the province off guard.
Newly arrived seniors at care homes where residents have already been vaccinated may have to wait up to a month for their first shot, with no plan on when their second dose will be administered.
Under the province’s rollout, immunization teams visit long-term care homes and vaccinate eligible candidates, usually the same day. Teams will return several weeks later to administer booster shots.
However, seniors who miss the first round, including new or re-admitted residents (or those too ill to be vaccinated at the time), have to wait for the immunization team to return to get their first shot. That could take up to four weeks. In a pandemic, that could be life or death.
Newly arrived seniors at care homes where residents have already been vaccinated may have to wait up to a month for their first shot, with no plan on when their second dose will be administered.
“Residents admitted between the two scheduled doses may be able to receive their first dose when the team arrives to administer the second dose,” a provincial spokesperson said in an email.
What’s more, there appears to be no plan in place to administer their second injections.
“It is preferred that the site arrange for the second dose to be administered,” the spokesperson said.
This is a major oversight.
Dr. Joss Reimer, medical lead with the vaccine implementation task force, has emphasized repeatedly how important it is for everyone to get their second dose within the manufacturer’s timeline (21 days for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and 28 days for the Moderna version).
Dr. Joss Reimer, medical lead with the vaccine implementation task force, has emphasized repeatedly how important it is for everyone to get their second dose within the manufacturer’s timeline.
The second dose is required for maximum protection and long-term efficacy. That’s especially important for seniors living in congregate settings such as personal-care homes, Reimer said.
“This population is our top priority,” she said Wednesday. “It is critical that we offer them that second dose.”
Yet the province has still not figured out how to avoid lengthy delays for first doses, or how to administer followup shots for many care-home residents. (There is a steady stream of residents arriving at care homes every week, including many from hospital who were awaiting placement).
When pressed further, provincial officials would say only that they’re still working on the problem.
“With vaccination now underway for Manitoba’s PCH residents, we are reviewing plans to ensure we include new admissions or re-admissions to PCH within our immunization schedules,” the provincial spokesperson said.
What Manitoba needs now are mobile vaccination teams that can do followup at long-term care homes to ensure all residents get timely first and second doses.
In other words, there is no plan. If they had one, they would make it public.
The province continues to blame the recent Pfizer shipment delays for many of its vaccine-rollout troubles. However, this has nothing to do with delivery schedules. The oversight is another example of poor planning.
All jurisdictions were aware last summer that vaccines could be approved for emergency use as early as the end of 2020. A vaccine team, led by someone experienced in large-scale logistical planning, should have had detailed plans months ago.
Instead, the province is making decisions on the fly, without experienced leadership. (Doctors who specialize in public health and government bureaucrats whose jobs normally include drafting budgets do not necessarily have backgrounds in logistical planning).
“With vaccination now underway for Manitoba’s PCH residents, we are reviewing plans to ensure we include new admissions or re–admissions to PCH within our immunization schedules.” –Provincial spokesperson
What Manitoba needs now are mobile vaccination teams that can do followup at long-term care homes to ensure all residents get timely first and second doses. Arranging for booster shots should not be left up to individual facilities, as the province has proposed. There is far too much room for error and neglect (given the track record of some nursing homes) to leave it in their hands.
Immunizing the most vulnerable as quickly as possible is the key to mitigating death and protecting hospital capacity. Nearly half of Manitobans who have died of COVID-19 were residents of care homes.
Premier Brian Pallister said last week he hopes the media doesn’t focus on every “hiccup” of his government’s immunization plan. This isn’t a hiccup; it’s a major blunder that could cost lives. It needs to be rectified immediately.
tom.brodbeck@freepress.mb.ca
Tom Brodbeck Columnist
Tom has been covering Manitoba politics since the early 1990s and joined the Winnipeg Free Press news team in 2019.
TORONTO – Canada Goose Holdings Inc. says it has signed a deal that will result in the creation of its first eyewear collection.
The deal announced on Thursday by the Toronto-based luxury apparel company comes in the form of an exclusive, long-term global licensing agreement with Marchon Eyewear Inc.
The terms and value of the agreement were not disclosed, but Marchon produces eyewear for brands including Lacoste, Nike, Calvin Klein, Ferragamo, Longchamp and Zeiss.
Marchon plans to roll out both sunglasses and optical wear under the Canada Goose name next spring, starting in North America.
Canada Goose says the eyewear will be sold through optical retailers, department stores, Canada Goose shops and its website.
Canada Goose CEO Dani Reiss told The Canadian Press in August that he envisioned his company eventually expanding into eyewear and luggage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Almost seven years since news broke of an alleged conspiracy to fix the price of packaged bread across Canada, the saga isn’t over: the Competition Bureau continues to investigate the companies that may have been involved, and two class-action lawsuits continue to work their way through the courts.
Here’s a timeline of key events in the bread price-fixing case.
Oct. 31, 2017: The Competition Bureau says it’s investigating allegations of bread price-fixing and that it was granted search warrants in the case. Several grocers confirm they are co-operating in the probe.
Dec. 19, 2017: Loblaw and George Weston say they participated in an “industry-wide price-fixing arrangement” to raise the price of packaged bread. The companies say they have been co-operating in the Competition Bureau’s investigation since March 2015, when they self-reported to the bureau upon discovering anti-competitive behaviour, and are receiving immunity from prosecution. They announce they are offering $25 gift cards to customers amid the ongoing investigation into alleged bread price-fixing.
Jan. 31, 2018: In court documents, the Competition Bureau says at least $1.50 was added to the price of a loaf of bread between about 2001 and 2016.
Dec. 20, 2019: A class-action lawsuit in a Quebec court against multiple grocers and food companies is certified against a number of companies allegedly involved in bread price-fixing, including Loblaw, George Weston, Metro, Sobeys, Walmart Canada, Canada Bread and Giant Tiger (which have all denied involvement, except for Loblaw and George Weston, which later settled with the plaintiffs).
Dec. 31, 2021: A class-action lawsuit in an Ontario court covering all Canadian residents except those in Quebec who bought packaged bread from a company named in the suit is certified against roughly the same group of companies.
June 21, 2023: Bakery giant Canada Bread Co. is fined $50 million after pleading guilty to four counts of price-fixing under the Competition Act as part of the Competition Bureau’s ongoing investigation.
Oct. 25 2023: Canada Bread files a statement of defence in the Ontario class action denying participating in the alleged conspiracy and saying any anti-competitive behaviour it participated in was at the direction and to the benefit of its then-majority owner Maple Leaf Foods, which is not a defendant in the case (neither is its current owner Grupo Bimbo). Maple Leaf calls Canada Bread’s accusations “baseless.”
Dec. 20, 2023: Metro files new documents in the Ontario class action accusing Loblaw and its parent company George Weston of conspiring to implicate it in the alleged scheme, denying involvement. Sobeys has made a similar claim. The two companies deny the allegations.
July 25, 2024: Loblaw and George Weston say they agreed to pay a combined $500 million to settle both the Ontario and Quebec class-action lawsuits. Loblaw’s share of the settlement includes a $96-million credit for the gift cards it gave out years earlier.
Sept. 12, 2024: Canada Bread files new documents in Ontario court as part of the class action, claiming Maple Leaf used it as a “shield” to avoid liability in the alleged scheme. Maple Leaf was a majority shareholder of Canada Bread until 2014, and the company claims it’s liable for any price-fixing activity. Maple Leaf refutes the claims.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:L, TSX:MFI, TSX:MRU, TSX:EMP.A, TSX:WN)
TORONTO – TD Bank Group, which is mired in a money laundering scandal in the U.S., says chief executive Bharat Masrani will retire next year.
Masrani, who will retire officially on April 10, 2025, says the bank’s, “anti-money laundering challenges,” took place on his watch and he takes full responsibility.
The bank named Raymond Chun, TD’s group head, Canadian personal banking, as his successor.
As part of a transition plan, Chun will become chief operating officer on Nov. 1 before taking over the top job when Masrani steps down at the bank’s annual meeting next year.
TD also announced that Riaz Ahmed, group head, wholesale banking and president and CEO of TD Securities, will retire at the end of January 2025.
TD has taken billions in charges related to ongoing U.S. investigations into the failure of its anti-money laundering program.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
