Health
A look at COVID-19 vaccinations in Canada on Friday, Feb. 12, 2021 – HalifaxToday.ca
The latest numbers on COVID-19 vaccinations in Canada as of 10:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Feb. 12, 2021.
In Canada, the provinces are reporting 35,449 new vaccinations administered for a total of 1,221,539 doses given. The provinces have administered doses at a rate of 3,223.12 per 100,000.
There were 3,510 new vaccines delivered to the provinces and territories for a total of 1,313,225 doses delivered so far. The provinces and territories have used 93.02 per cent of their available vaccine supply.
Please note that Newfoundland, P.E.I., Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the territories typically do not report on a daily basis.
Newfoundland is reporting 2,091 new vaccinations administered over the past seven days for a total of 14,687 doses given. The province has administered doses at a rate of 28.048 per 1,000. There were zero new vaccines delivered to Newfoundland for a total of 19,975 doses delivered so far. The province has received enough of the vaccine to give 3.8 per cent of its population a single dose. The province has used 73.53 per cent of its available vaccine supply.
P.E.I. is reporting 802 new vaccinations administered over the past seven days for a total of 9,139 doses given. The province has administered doses at a rate of 57.612 per 1,000. There were zero new vaccines delivered to P.E.I. for a total of 10,200 doses delivered so far. The province has received enough of the vaccine to give 6.4 per cent of its population a single dose. The province has used 89.6 per cent of its available vaccine supply.
Nova Scotia is reporting 5,048 new vaccinations administered over the past seven days for a total of 22,343 doses given. The province has administered doses at a rate of 22.895 per 1,000. There were zero new vaccines delivered to Nova Scotia for a total of 34,800 doses delivered so far. The province has received enough of the vaccine to give 3.6 per cent of its population a single dose. The province has used 64.2 per cent of its available vaccine supply.
New Brunswick is reporting 1,366 new vaccinations administered over the past seven days for a total of 18,643 doses given. The province has administered doses at a rate of 23.90 per 1,000. There were zero new vaccines delivered to New Brunswick for a total of 25,850 doses delivered so far. The province has received enough of the vaccine to give 3.3 per cent of its population a single dose. The province has used 72.12 per cent of its available vaccine supply.
Quebec is reporting 8,280 new vaccinations administered for a total of 280,612 doses given. The province has administered doses at a rate of 32.795 per 1,000. There were zero new vaccines delivered to Quebec for a total of 310,425 doses delivered so far. The province has received enough of the vaccine to give 3.6 per cent of its population a single dose. The province has used 90.4 per cent of its available vaccine supply.
Ontario is reporting 15,605 new vaccinations administered for a total of 442,441 doses given. The province has administered doses at a rate of 30.12 per 1,000. There were zero new vaccines delivered to Ontario for a total of 437,975 doses delivered so far. The province has received enough of the vaccine to give 3.0 per cent of its population a single dose. The province has used 101 per cent of its available vaccine supply.
Manitoba is reporting 1,408 new vaccinations administered for a total of 52,664 doses given. The province has administered doses at a rate of 38.245 per 1,000. There were 3,510 new vaccines delivered to Manitoba for a total of 69,600 doses delivered so far. The province has received enough of the vaccine to give 5.1 per cent of its population a single dose. The province has used 75.67 per cent of its available vaccine supply.
Saskatchewan is reporting 525 new vaccinations administered for a total of 46,788 doses given. The province has administered doses at a rate of 39.679 per 1,000. There were zero new vaccines delivered to Saskatchewan for a total of 44,575 doses delivered so far. The province has received enough of the vaccine to give 3.8 per cent of its population a single dose. The province has used 105 per cent of its available vaccine supply.
Alberta is reporting 4,814 new vaccinations administered for a total of 140,389 doses given. The province has administered doses at a rate of 31.892 per 1,000. There were zero new vaccines delivered to Alberta for a total of 132,475 doses delivered so far. The province has received enough of the vaccine to give 3.0 per cent of its population a single dose. The province has used 106 per cent of its available vaccine supply.
British Columbia is reporting 3,095 new vaccinations administered for a total of 162,982 doses given. The province has administered doses at a rate of 31.761 per 1,000. There were zero new vaccines delivered to British Columbia for a total of 186,550 doses delivered so far. The province has received enough of the vaccine to give 3.6 per cent of its population a single dose. The province has used 87.37 per cent of its available vaccine supply.
Yukon is reporting 80 new vaccinations administered for a total of 11,514 doses given. The territory has administered doses at a rate of 275.91 per 1,000. There were zero new vaccines delivered to Yukon for a total of 14,400 doses delivered so far. The territory has received enough of the vaccine to give 35 per cent of its population a single dose. The territory has used 79.96 per cent of its available vaccine supply.
The Northwest Territories are reporting zero new vaccinations administered for a total of 13,132 doses given. The territory has administered doses at a rate of 291.053 per 1,000. There were zero new vaccines delivered to the Northwest Territories for a total of 14,400 doses delivered so far. The territory has received enough of the vaccine to give 32 per cent of its population a single dose. The territory has used 91.19 per cent of its available vaccine supply.
Nunavut is reporting 20 new vaccinations administered for a total of 6,205 doses given. The territory has administered doses at a rate of 160.228 per 1,000. There were zero new vaccines delivered to Nunavut for a total of 12,000 doses delivered so far. The territory has received enough of the vaccine to give 31 per cent of its population a single dose. The territory has used 51.71 per cent of its available vaccine supply.
*Notes on data: The figures are compiled by the COVID-19 Open Data Working Group based on the latest publicly available data and are subject to change. Note that some provinces report weekly, while others report same-day or figures from the previous day. Vaccine doses administered is not equivalent to the number of people inoculated as the approved vaccines require two doses per person. The vaccines are currently not being administered to children under 18 and those with certain health conditions. In some cases the number of doses administered may appear to exceed the number of doses distributed as some provinces have been drawing extra doses per vial.
This report was automatically generated by The Canadian Press Digital Data Desk and was first published Feb. 12, 2021.
The Canadian Press
Health
Avian influenza spread: WHO gives public health warning as FDA calms food safety concerns – Food Ingredients First
23 April 2024 — The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the ongoing spread of avian influenza poses a “significant public health concern” and urged health authorities, especially in the US, to closely monitor infections in cows. However, the US FDA maintains that the virus is not currently a concern to consumer health and downplayed its impact on commercial milk production.
Earlier this month, the largest producer of fresh eggs in the US halted production at a Texas plant after bird flu was detected in its chickens. Cal-Maine Foods said that about 3.6% of its total flock was destroyed after the infection.
However, the virus, also known as H5N1, has now been found in at least 26 dairy herds across eight US states, marking the first time this strain of bird flu has been detected in cattle, according to officials.
At least 21 states have restricted cattle importations from states where the virus is known to have infected dairy cows.
The US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service strongly recommends minimizing the movement of cattle, but has not issued federal quarantine orders.
Public health threat
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed this month that a dairy worker in Texas, who reportedly had exposure to dairy cattle presumed to have had avian influenza, contracted the virus and is now recovering.
“This infection does not change the H5N1 bird flu human health risk assessment for the US general public, which CDC considers to be low,” the agency said in a press release, while acknowledging that people who come into more frequent contact with possibly infected birds or other mammals have a higher risk.
Meanwhile, WHO’s chief scientist, Dr. Jeremy Farrar, told reporters recently in Geneva, Switzerland, that H5N1 has had an “extremely high” mortality rate among the several hundred people known to have been infected with it to date.
US health officials have downplayed the impact of bird flu on food safety and industry production.However, no human-to-human H5N1 transmission has yet been recorded.
“H5N1 is an influenza infection, predominantly started in poultry and ducks and has spread effectively over the course of the last one or two years to become a global zoonotic — animal — pandemic,” said Farrar.
“The great concern, of course, is that in doing so and infecting ducks and chickens — but now increasingly mammals — the virus now evolves and develops the ability to infect humans.
“And then critically, the ability to go from human-to-human transmission.”
Concerns with cattle
US health officials have stressed that bird flu’s risk to the public is low, and the country’s food supply remains safe and stable.
“At this time, there continues to be no concern that this circumstance poses a risk to consumer health or that it affects the safety of the interstate commercial milk supply,” the FDA said in a statement.
According to officials, farmers are being urged to test cows that show symptoms of infection and separate them from the herd, where they usually recover within two weeks.
US producers are not permitted to sell milk from sick cows, while milk sold across state lines must be pasteurized or heat-treated to kill viruses, including influenza.
A dairy worker in Texas reportedly contracted the virus after exposure to cattle.
“We firmly believe that pasteurization provides a safe milk supply,” Tracey Forfa, director of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, told a webinar audience last week.
However, WHO’s Farrar has urged further caution by public health authorities “because it [the virus] may evolve into transmitting in different ways.”
“Do the milking structures of cows create aerosols? Is it the environment which they’re living in? Is it the transport system that is spreading this around the country?” he said.
“This is a huge concern, and I think we have to…make sure that if H5N1 did come across to humans with human-to-human transmission that we were in a position to immediately respond with access equitably to vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics.”
According to a new European Food Safety Authority report, outbreaks of avian influenza continue to spread in the EU and beyond.
By Joshua Poole
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York Region Public Health is reminding residents to keep up to date on their vaccinations as National Immunization Awareness Week begins.
The regional municipality said it is important to stay up to date on recommended vaccinations to ensure protection from contagious diseases. That includes updated COVID-19 vaccinations for vulnerable populations, recommended as part of a spring vaccination campaign.
“We know vaccines are safe and the best way to stay protected against vaccine-preventable disease,” the region said in a news release.
National Immunization Awareness Week runs from April 22 to 30, with this year’s theme being “Protect your future, get immunized.”
This spring, the region is still doing COVID-19 vaccinations. While walk-ins are no longer available as of April 2, you can book an appointment to visit a York Region clinic.
The spring COVID-19 vaccination campaign is aimed at more vulnerable groups who have received a COVID-19 vaccine before. Those include seniors, those living in seniors living facilities like long-term care homes, immunocompromised individuals and those in Indigenous households who are 55 or older. Public health also recommends the COVID-19 vaccine for those who have not yet received one.
York Region Public Health is also reminding residents of the need for other vaccines.
Measles cases have sprung up in Ontario and York Region recently. The region is recommending that people ensure they previously raised two valid doses of the measles vaccine. The region will also start providing measles vaccines April 29 for those overdue and for who do not have access to the vaccine through a health-care provider.
School-aged vaccinations are also available for free for children in junior kindergarten to Grade 12.
You can access immunization information at york.ca/immunziations or by contacting Access York at 1-877-464-9675.
“Vaccination helps protect everyone in our families, communities and schools,” the region said. “ By continuing to stay up to date on your immunizations, you help protect infants who are too young to be vaccinated and those not able to get vaccinated due to medical conditions.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) said the rising number of bird flu cases has raised “great concern” because it had an “extremely high” mortality rate among those who had been infected around the world.
The WHO’s data show that from 2003 through March 2024, a total of 889 worldwide human cases of H5N1 infection had been recorded in 23 countries, resulting in 463 deaths and a 52 percent mortality rate. The majority of deaths occurred in Southeast Asian countries and Egypt.
The most recent death was in Vietnam in late March, when a 21-year-old male without underlying conditions died of the infection after bird hunting. So far, cases in Europe and the United States have been mild.
Jeremy Farrar, chief scientist at the WHO, said recently that H5N1, predominantly started in poultry and ducks, “has spread effectively over the course of the last one or two years to become a global zoonotic — animal — pandemic”.
He said that the great concern is that the virus is increasingly infecting mammals and then develops the ability to infect humans. It would become critical if the virus develops the ability to “go from human-to-human transmission”, Farrar said.
In the past month, health officials have detected H5N1 in cows and goats from 29 dairy herds across eight states in the US, saying it is an alarming development because those livestock weren’t considered susceptible to H5N1.
The development worries health experts and officials because humans regularly come into contact with livestock on farms. In the US, there are only two recorded cases of human infection — one in 2022 and one in April this year in Texas. Both infected individuals worked in close proximity to livestock, but their symptoms were mild.
Wenqing Zhang, head of the WHO’s global influenza program, told the Daily Mail that “bird-to-cow, cow-to-cow and cow-to-bird transmission have also been registered during these current outbreaks, which suggest that the virus may have found other routes of transition than we previously understood”.
Zhang said that multiple herds of cow infections in the US states meant “a further step of the virus spillover to mammals”.
The virus has been found in raw milk, but the Texas Health Services department has said the cattle infections don’t present a concern for the commercial milk supply, as dairies are required to destroy milk from sick cows. In addition, pasteurization also kills the virus.
Darin Detwiler, a former food safety adviser to the Food and Drug Administration and the US Agriculture Department, said that Americans should avoid rare meat and runny eggs while the outbreak in cattle is going on to avoid the possibility of infection from those foods.
Nevertheless, both the WHO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that the risk the virus poses to the public is still low. Currently no human-to-human infection has been detected.
On the potential HN51 public health risk, Farrar cautioned that vaccine development was not “where we need to be”.
According to a report by Barron’s, under the current plan by the US Health and Human Services Department, if there is an H5N1 pandemic, the government would be able to supply a few hundred thousand doses within weeks, then 135 million within about four months.
People would need two doses of the shot to be fully protected. That means the US government would be able to inoculate about 68 million people — 20 percent — of 330 million in case of an outbreak.
The situation is being closely watched by scientists and health officials. Some experts said that a high mortality rate might not necessarily hold true in the event the virus became contagious among people.
“We may not see the level of mortality that we’re really concerned about,” Seema Lakdawala, a virologist at Emory University, told The New York Times. “Preexisting immunity to seasonal flu strains will provide some protection from severe disease.”
Agencies contributed to this story.
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