Health
‘Alarming’ new national COVID-19 projections due Friday as questions swirl about vaccine delivery – Toronto Star
OTTAWA—Federal public health officials are expected to release “alarming” new COVID-19 projections Friday — modelling numbers that were presented to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Opposition party leaders in a rare joint briefing Thursday.
“Given the numbers” it was important for the other party leaders to hear the projections first-hand, to “seize the situation” and to have a chance to ask questions directly of federal public health advisers, Drs. Theresa Tam and Howard Njoo, said a senior government official speaking on background.
“All parties should be aware of the latest developments and what’s coming clearly in the next few weeks,” said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the meeting, which combined in-person and virtual participants.
Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Green Leader Annamie Paul attended the briefing, while Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet dispatched his House leader Alain Therrien.
One source later said that the modelling showed Canada could hit 60,000 new daily cases in December if Canadians increase their contacts, 20,000 cases if people maintain current rates of social interaction, and 10,000 only if they move quickly to reduce contacts. The source said that grimmest projection did not include key variables, including an effective reproductive number.
Tam last week had warned that the country could hit 10,000 new daily cases in December.
In a statement released after the meeting, O’Toole said later that what struck him was that 11 months in, “after thousands of lives and millions of jobs have been lost, and hundreds of billions of dollars has been added to the national debt, we as a country are worse off than we were at the start of the pandemic.”
He placed the blame for that squarely on Trudeau’s government for failing to deliver rapid tests, to give Canadians clear information to make decisions and to provide a clear vaccine plan.
The government official said they discussed modelling numbers, vaccines, long-term-care homes, schools, rapid tests, international factors in Canada’s pandemic, and interprovincial travel. The official denied the goal was to get other party leaders on board with the government’s public health message.
It comes in a week when the Opposition has pushed Trudeau hard on the Liberals’ COVID-19 response, especially on Ottawa’s vaccine distribution plans.
But much of that road map is still being worked out.
At Queen’s Park, Health Minister Christine Elliott reiterated that Ontario is expecting to receive 40 per cent of Canada’s initial allotment of four million doses of the Pfizer vaccine and two million doses of the Moderna vaccine — numbers she said were given by the federal government but which Trudeau declined to confirm Thursday “until we have much more certainty around them.”
“We do expect on that to be receiving 1.6 million doses of the Pfizer product and 800,000 of the Moderna product,” Elliott told reporters Thursday.
The minister said the province “has a detailed group that’s working within the Ministry of Health to deal with the physical logistics,” such as safely storing the serum at low temperatures.
“Then there are also the issues about who should receive the first vaccines,” she said, noting the committee’s work is well under way.
Elliott said “there are people from the ethics tables that are also going to be on this committee to figure out what is the most fair and equitable way of distributing the vaccine.”
Trudeau said only that there are “many ongoing preliminary discussions around our plan to unfold, to rollout vaccines and deliver them across the country.”
Ottawa’s role is to co-ordinate the global purchase and front-end delivery of vaccines to provinces.
So far, the federal government has shortlisted four companies that specialize in providing logistics services.
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The federal government will soon decide whether to further invite them to compete for the job of co-ordinating the delivery of vaccines, or whether it will simply select one or more to do the work.
That decision was expected to be made by Nov. 23, but seems certain to be delayed to late November, said another official who spoke on a background-only basis.
Additionally, the federal government has bought 126 freezers — made by Panasonic and Thermal Scientific — to boost existing federal freezer capacity to store anticipated COVID-19 vaccine supplies, once approved by Health Canada.
Of the 126, 26 are “ultracold” and can store vaccines at minus 80C, and 100 are freezers that provide minus 20C. Ottawa says that means it has secured freezer capacity for about approximately 33.5 million “ultra-frozen” and frozen vaccines.
Federal officials who answered questions from the Star downplayed the need for additional help from the private sector or other Canadian companies which in the past week stepped up to offer to mobilize to assist with the daunting logistics of providing cold-chain storage for the vaccine.
The federal government plans now to work only through the four companies on the shortlist.
Those companies may subcontract portions of the work, but all have guaranteed they’ll be able to provide end-to-end support for vaccine delivery.
Pfizer’s is the only vaccine candidate, among the seven for which Canada has purchase contracts, that requires “ultracold” storage temperatures.
Moderna, the second company to report its RNA-based vaccine candidate shows a 94.5 per cent efficacy rate, has less stringent cold storage requirements.
Canada has purchased 20 million doses of each.
It’s not clear which vaccine or vaccines will first cross the finish line at the Health Canada regulatory agency before they will be allowed to be distributed.
Tam has said some vaccines could become available in early January, within six or seven weeks.
Health
CFIA continues surveillance for HPAI in cattle, while sticking with original name for disease – RealAgriculture
The Canada Food Inspection Agency will continue to refer to highly pathogenic avian influenza in cattle as HPAI in cattle, and not refer to it as bovine influenza A virus (BIAV), as suggested by the American Association of Bovine Practitioners earlier this month.
Dr. Martin Appelt, senior director for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, in the interview below, says at this time Canada will stick with “HPAI in cattle” when referencing the disease that’s been confirmed in dairy cattle in multiple states in the U.S.
The CFIA’s naming policy is consistent with the agency’s U.S. counterparts’, as the U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has also said it will continue referring to it as HPAI or H5N1.
Appelt explains how the CFIA is learning from the U.S. experience to-date, and how it is working with veterinarians across Canada to stay vigilant for signs of the disease in dairy and beef cattle.
As of April 19, there has not been a confirmed case of HPAI in cattle in Canada. Appelt says it’s too soon to say if an eventual positive case will significantly restrict animal movement, as is the case with positive poultry cases.
This is a major concern for the cattle industry, as beef cattle especially move north and south across the U.S. border by the thousands. Appelt says that CFIA will address an infection in each species differently in conjunction with how the disease is spread and the threat to neighbouring farms or livestock.
Currently, provincial dairy organizations have advised producers to postpone any non-essential tours of dairy barns, as a precaution, in addition to other biosecurity measures to reduce the risk of cattle contracting HPAI.
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Health
Toronto reports 2 more measles cases. Use our tool to check the spread in Canada – Toronto Star
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Canada has seen a concerning rise in measles cases in the first months of 2024.
By the third week of March, the country had already recorded more than three times the number of cases as all of last year. Canada had just 12 cases of measles in 2023, up from three in 2022.
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Cancer Awareness Month
Posted on: Apr 18, 2024
April is Cancer Awareness Month
As we recognize Cancer Awareness Month, we stand together to raise awareness, support those affected, advocate for prevention, early detection, and continued research towards a cure. Cancer is the leading cause of death for Métis women and the second leading cause of death for Métis men. The Otipemisiwak Métis Government of the Métis Nation Within Alberta is working hard to ensure that available supports for Métis Citizens battling cancer are culturally appropriate, comprehensive, and accessible by Métis Albertans at all stages of their cancer journey.
Receiving a cancer diagnosis, whether for yourself or a loved one, can feel overwhelming, leaving you unsure of where to turn for support. In June, our government will be launching the Cancer Supports and Navigation Program which will further support Métis Albertans and their families experiencing cancer by connecting them to OMG-specific cancer resources, external resources, and providing navigation support through the health care system. This program will also include Métis-specific peer support groups for those affected by cancer.
With funding from the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC) we have also developed the Métis Cancer Care Course to ensure that Métis Albertans have access to culturally safe and appropriate cancer services. This course is available to cancer care professionals across the country and provides an overview of who Métis people are, our culture, our approaches to health and wellbeing, our experiences with cancer care, and our cancer journey.
Together, we can make a difference in the fight against cancer and ensure equitable access to culturally safe and appropriate care for all Métis Albertans. Please click on the links below to learn more about the supports available for Métis Albertans, including our Compassionate Care: Cancer Transportation program.
I wish you all good health and happiness!
Bobbi Paul-Alook
Secretary of Health & Seniors
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