Amid AstraZeneca concerns, Trudeau tells Canadians to take the ‘first vaccine’ they’re offered - Global News | Canada News Media
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Amid AstraZeneca concerns, Trudeau tells Canadians to take the ‘first vaccine’ they’re offered – Global News

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is urging Canadians to take the first vaccine they’re offered, as Health Canada hits pause on giving the AstraZeneca jab to those under the age of 55.

On Monday, Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) issued the new guidelines due to concerns over reports of blood clots. While chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam called the move a “precautionary measure,” concerns about vaccine hesitancy bubbled up among experts.

Read more:
AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine not recommended for those under 55, NACI says

Still, Trudeau says Canadians should jump at the opportunity to receive any COVID-19 jab – including the AstraZeneca vaccine.

“The bottom line for Canadians is the right vaccine for you to take is the very first vaccine that you are offered,” he said, speaking in a press conference on Tuesday.

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How are you affected by the AstraZeneca guideline changes? Doctor answers your COVID-19 vaccination questions


How are you affected by the AstraZeneca guideline changes? Doctor answers your COVID-19 vaccination questions

He acknowledged that the hesitancy surrounding the AstraZeneca vaccine is “certainly something that is on (the government’s) mind,” but that getting the population vaccinated is the key to containing the deadly spread of the virus.

“The more we get Canadians vaccinated, quickly and safely, the quicker we’ll be able to get back to a semblance of normality,” Trudeau said.

“With the variants that are more severe and more transmissible increasing around the population, we need to make sure we’re doing everything we can to get through this.”

Read more:
Why does AstraZeneca vaccine guidance keep changing? Experts weigh in

Speaking to Global News in an interview on Monday, experts explained that despite the fact that Health Canada hit pause on the AstraZeneca jabs for those under the age of 55, Canadians who are still allowed to get the vaccine should feel very safe doing so.

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“You’re starting to get in the odds of, you’re going to get hit by lightning going to the vaccine appointment, (rather) than getting this complication,” said Dr. Zain Chagla, an infectious disease specialist.

“It’s not zero, but again, you live in a world where COVID-19 is rising, where, again, people’s complications are rising… this is a balance.”






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NACI issues new guidelines on using AstraZeneca shot for people under 55


NACI issues new guidelines on using AstraZeneca shot for people under 55

He said for those over the age of 55, that balance is “way, way” in favour of getting the jab.

Trudeau reiterated that the shifting advice on the AstraZeneca vaccine is the result of changing science – and that for the public health officials making these decisions, the safety of Canadians stays firmly front of mind.

“As we get more and more data, experts are refining and shifting their recommendations,” Trudeau said.

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“Canadians need to know that every step of the way, there is one thing driving all these experts, and that is keeping Canadians safe and getting through this pandemic as quickly as possible.”

Read more:
U.K. study underway to test COVID-19 vaccine mixing. Should Canada follow suit?

Tam added that while it may appear that the recommendations are jumping all over the place, the reality is they’ve always been “informed by the data at hand.”

For example, she said, AstraZeneca wasn’t approved for Canadians over 65 because there hadn’t been enough individuals in that age group included in the clinical trials – so they just didn’t know for sure that it was safe. Once real-world data came in for that age group from the U.K., it became apparent that the vaccine was indeed safe for those over age 65.

That’s why that recommendation changed, she said.






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COVID-19: Canada’s deputy public health officer lists symptoms of VIPIT


COVID-19: Canada’s deputy public health officer lists symptoms of VIPIT

Tam said the new recommendation not to administer AstraZeneca to those under the age of 55 follows the same trend.

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“This, again, is new data and it’s a precautionary approach for a rare event,” Tam said, acknowledging that the rare event is “serious.”

She said public health officials “want to be transparent” and that any vaccines that are put into Canadian arms “will be safe and effective for those populations” that they are approved for.

“So I think that’s really, really key,” Tam said.

“For Canadians, when the provinces offer you the vaccine, take the vaccine that you are provided.”

Meanwhile, Canada’s vaccine rollout is heating up. Procurement Minister Anita Anand explained on Tuesday that with a new, expedited timeline for millions of Pfizer doses, Canada is on track to receive at least 44 million COVID-19 vaccine doses by the end of June.

Read more:
Canada getting 5M Pfizer doses ahead of schedule in June, Trudeau says

In addition to that, Canada is going to start getting its shipments of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine at the end of April, officials confirmed Tuesday. Those doses were not included in the 44 million dose tally.

Canada’s population is just shy of 38 million. While all of the 44 million doses require two jabs for full immunization, Canada is focusing on rolling out an initial jab to as many Canadians as possible before worrying about the second vaccine dose.

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COVID-19: AstraZeneca pause for those under 55 creating more vaccine hesitancy


COVID-19: AstraZeneca pause for those under 55 creating more vaccine hesitancy

“By end of June, we will be having more than 40 million doses of vaccine delivered to Canada. This would place us in a very good situation to say that, by the end of the summer, everyone would have received two doses,” Trudeau said on Tuesday, speaking in French.

“Depending on the distribution of the vaccines by the provinces, it is possible that many people will have received at least their first dose before the summer starts.”

© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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Telus prioritizing ‘most important customers,’ avoiding ‘unprofitable’ offers: CFO

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Telus Corp. says it is avoiding offering “unprofitable” discounts as fierce competition in the Canadian telecommunications sector shows no sign of slowing down.

The company said Friday it had fewer net new customers during its third quarter compared with the same time last year, as it copes with increasingly “aggressive marketing and promotional pricing” that is prompting more customers to switch providers.

Telus said it added 347,000 net new customers, down around 14.5 per cent compared with last year. The figure includes 130,000 mobile phone subscribers and 34,000 internet customers, down 30,000 and 3,000, respectively, year-over-year.

The company reported its mobile phone churn rate — a metric measuring subscribers who cancelled their services — was 1.09 per cent in the third quarter, up from 1.03 per cent in the third quarter of 2023. That included a postpaid mobile phone churn rate of 0.90 per cent in its latest quarter.

Telus said its focus is on customer retention through its “industry-leading service and network quality, along with successful promotions and bundled offerings.”

“The customers we have are the most important customers we can get,” said chief financial officer Doug French in an interview.

“We’ve, again, just continued to focus on what matters most to our customers, from a product and customer service perspective, while not loading unprofitable customers.”

Meanwhile, Telus reported its net income attributable to common shares more than doubled during its third quarter.

The telecommunications company said it earned $280 million, up 105.9 per cent from the same three-month period in 2023. Earnings per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 was 19 cents compared with nine cents a year earlier.

It reported adjusted net income was $413 million, up 10.7 per cent year-over-year from $373 million in the same quarter last year. Operating revenue and other income for the quarter was $5.1 billion, up 1.8 per cent from the previous year.

Mobile phone average revenue per user was $58.85 in the third quarter, a decrease of $2.09 or 3.4 per cent from a year ago. Telus said the drop was attributable to customers signing up for base rate plans with lower prices, along with a decline in overage and roaming revenues.

It said customers are increasingly adopting unlimited data and Canada-U.S. plans which provide higher and more stable ARPU on a monthly basis.

“In a tough operating environment and relative to peers, we view Q3 results that were in line to slightly better than forecast as the best of the bunch,” said RBC analyst Drew McReynolds in a note.

Scotiabank analyst Maher Yaghi added that “the telecom industry in Canada remains very challenging for all players, however, Telus has been able to face these pressures” and still deliver growth.

The Big 3 telecom providers — which also include Rogers Communications Inc. and BCE Inc. — have frequently stressed that the market has grown more competitive in recent years, especially after the closing of Quebecor Inc.’s purchase of Freedom Mobile in April 2023.

Hailed as a fourth national carrier, Quebecor has invested in enhancements to Freedom’s network while offering more affordable plans as part of a set of commitments it was mandated by Ottawa to agree to.

The cost of telephone services in September was down eight per cent compared with a year earlier, according to Statistics Canada’s most recent inflation report last month.

“I think competition has been and continues to be, I’d say, quite intense in Canada, and we’ve obviously had to just manage our business the way we see fit,” said French.

Asked how long that environment could last, he said that’s out of Telus’ hands.

“What I can control, though, is how we go to market and how we lead with our products,” he said.

“I think the conditions within the market will have to adjust accordingly over time. We’ve continued to focus on digitization, continued to bring our cost structure down to compete, irrespective of the price and the current market conditions.”

Still, Canada’s telecom regulator continues to warn providers about customers facing more charges on their cellphone and internet bills.

On Tuesday, CRTC vice-president of consumer, analytics and strategy Scott Hutton called on providers to ensure they clearly inform their customers of charges such as early cancellation fees.

That followed statements from the regulator in recent weeks cautioning against rising international roaming fees and “surprise” price increases being found on their bills.

Hutton said the CRTC plans to launch public consultations in the coming weeks that will focus “on ensuring that information is clear and consistent, making it easier to compare offers and switch services or providers.”

“The CRTC is concerned with recent trends, which suggest that Canadians may not be benefiting from the full protections of our codes,” he said.

“We will continue to monitor developments and will take further action if our codes are not being followed.”

French said any initiative to boost transparency is a step in the right direction.

“I can’t say we are perfect across the board, but what I can say is we are absolutely taking it under consideration and trying to be the best at communicating with our customers,” he said.

“I think everyone looking in the mirror would say there’s room for improvement.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

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TC Energy cuts cost estimate for Southeast Gateway pipeline project in Mexico

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CALGARY – TC Energy Corp. has lowered the estimated cost of its Southeast Gateway pipeline project in Mexico.

It says it now expects the project to cost between US$3.9 billion and US$4.1 billion compared with its original estimate of US$4.5 billion.

The change came as the company reported a third-quarter profit attributable to common shareholders of C$1.46 billion or $1.40 per share compared with a loss of C$197 million or 19 cents per share in the same quarter last year.

Revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 30 totalled C$4.08 billion, up from C$3.94 billion in the third quarter of 2023.

TC Energy says its comparable earnings for its latest quarter amounted to C$1.03 per share compared with C$1.00 per share a year earlier.

The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 95 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

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BCE reports Q3 loss on asset impairment charge, cuts revenue guidance

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BCE Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter as it recorded $2.11 billion in asset impairment charges, mainly related to Bell Media’s TV and radio properties.

The company says its net loss attributable to common shareholders amounted to $1.24 billion or $1.36 per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with a profit of $640 million or 70 cents per share a year earlier.

On an adjusted basis, BCE says it earned 75 cents per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of 81 cents per share in the same quarter last year.

“Bell’s results for the third quarter demonstrate that we are disciplined in our pursuit of profitable growth in an intensely competitive environment,” BCE chief executive Mirko Bibic said in a statement.

“Our focus this quarter, and throughout 2024, has been to attract higher-margin subscribers and reduce costs to help offset short-term revenue impacts from sustained competitive pricing pressures, slow economic growth and a media advertising market that is in transition.”

Operating revenue for the quarter totalled $5.97 billion, down from $6.08 billion in its third quarter of 2023.

BCE also said it now expects its revenue for 2024 to fall about 1.5 per cent compared with earlier guidance for an increase of zero to four per cent.

The company says the change comes as it faces lower-than-anticipated wireless product revenue and sustained pressure on wireless prices.

BCE added 33,111 net postpaid mobile phone subscribers, down 76.8 per cent from the same period last year, which was the company’s second-best performance on the metric since 2010.

It says the drop was driven by higher customer churn — a measure of subscribers who cancelled their service — amid greater competitive activity and promotional offer intensity. BCE’s monthly churn rate for the category was 1.28 per cent, up from 1.1 per cent during its previous third quarter.

The company also saw 11.6 per cent fewer gross subscriber activations “due to more targeted promotional offers and mobile device discounting compared to last year.”

Bell’s wireless mobile phone average revenue per user was $58.26, down 3.4 per cent from $60.28 in the third quarter of the prior year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:BCE)

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