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Canada is slowly re-opening — and new research reveals where you're most at risk of COVID-19 – CBC.ca

Published

4 years ago

May 16, 2020

This is an excerpt from Second Opinion, a weekly roundup of eclectic and under-the-radar health and medical science news emailed to subscribers every Saturday morning. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here.

When 61 members of a choir gathered for a practice in Mount Vernon, Wash., on March 10 — including one with COVID-19 symptoms — the group had no way of knowing just how bad the situation could get.

The two-and-a-half-hour practice was an ideal scenario for the virus to spread: Choir members sat close to each other, sang together, shared snacks, and stacked chairs when it was over.

Two weeks later, 53 of the 61 choir members in attendance had either confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19. Three of those people were hospitalized. Two died.

Was it the singing, close contact, touching of surfaces, or sharing of food that caused the outbreak? Researchers aren’t sure which factors mattered most.

But one thing is common between that outbreak and others studied so far: Spending an extended period of time indoors together seems to help fuel the spread of COVID-19.

Watch: Are you safer from COVID-19 indoors or outdoors?

Andrew Chang asks an infectious disease doctor whether it’s safer to be indoors or outdoors during the coronavirus pandemic. 1:02

“There’s more and more evidence that it is capable of spreading through the air,” said Linsey Marr, an expert in the transmission of viruses by aerosol at Virginia Tech.

“The big outbreaks always involve crowded places, sometimes poorly ventilated, other times, we don’t know.”

As provinces across Canada are slowly reopening, experts say emerging research offers lessons on how to do that safely — and it suggests tight, enclosed spaces may pose the biggest risk.

Where are outbreaks happening?

The choir practice is the subject of new research from the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention that shows how one close gathering can have devastating consequences.

The outbreak is known as what’s called a “superspreader event,” where a highly infectious person can spread the illness to many other people.

Two other recent reports from the CDC also found that the virus could more easily spread in an indoor setting with low ventilation over an extended period of time.

One looked at an outbreak at a call centre in South Korea. The report found 94 of 97 confirmed COVID-19 cases in an office building were all people who worked on the same floor.

Another paper by researchers in China studied a restaurant in Guangzhou and found an infected individual without symptoms was apparently able to spread the virus to nine others.

The direction the air-conditioning system was blowing may have helped transport the virus particles to other diners, who otherwise had no contact with one another — while the report found those elsewhere in the restaurant who weren’t near the airflow didn’t get sick.

“Ventilation seems to play a role and what that means is that transmission is occurring via droplets in the air that people are inhaling or somehow picking up,” said Marr.

“The fact that ventilation seems to matter strongly suggests that there is transmission happening through the air.”

The World Health Organization says airborne transmission of the virus “may be possible in specific circumstances,” such as the intubation of a patient in a hospital, but says there isn’t conclusive evidence it can spread from person to person through the air.

Friends are pictured in a public park near the seawall in Vancouver, B.C., on May 6. Emerging research shows simply talking loudly could generate droplets with the potential to carry the virus. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

Yet even the simple act of talking can produce hundreds of tiny droplets that have the potential to carry viruses and can remain in the air from eight to 14 minutes, a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) found.

The research team didn’t study the speech droplets of people who had COVID-19 specifically, but they did conclude that even just one minute of loud talking could generate over 1,000 droplets with the potential to carry the virus.

“Protecting yourself from a droplet-borne infection is extremely complicated at the best of times,” said Dr. Andrew Morris, a professor in the department of medicine at the University of Toronto who studies infectious diseases.

“One of those things that’s been extremely consistent is that having people in close quarters — especially breaking bread, so to speak — has increased the likelihood of transmission.”

Lessons for Canada about reopening

Against the backdrop of this growing body of research, officials across Canada are launching slow, phased reopenings that include many indoor settings.

Starting May 19 in Ontario, retail stores — but only outside of shopping malls, with street entrances — can start reopening with physical distancing measures in place.

In Quebec, the return to some semblance of normalcy is two-tier: Areas outside Montreal are reopening, but the provincial government has already twice delayed easing restrictions in and around the city itself — the epicentre of the province’s COVID-19 cases.

And in British Columbia, restaurants, hair salons, retail stores, museums, and libraries are all slated to reopen soon, though bans on gatherings of more than 50 people will remain in place and nightclubs and bars are expected to remain shuttered longer.

Regardless of when these types of businesses officially reopen across Canada, the research trends can help us navigate which activities put Canadians more at risk, said Jason Kindrachuk, an assistant professor of viral pathogenesis at the University of Manitoba.

Kids socially distancing at a school for children of essential service workers in West Vancouver. Experts say indoor settings with poor ventilation are a growing concern for the spread of the disease. (Ben Nelms)

“It informs our decisions when we start to think about things like reducing [physical] distancing measures,” he said, adding that means anything from interacting in stores or dining at a restaurant.

“We now have to think about new strategies to employ to be able to reduce these types of events.”

‘Move as many activities outdoors as possible’

Kindrachuk said examples like glass barriers for cashiers could become part of the “new normal” of society after the pandemic ends, and more people will think about how easily infectious diseases spread on a day-to-day basis.

“I think we’ll be revisiting many of the aspects of our lives where people are in close quarters,” Morris said.

“I don’t think anyone can now imagine going on a subway system that’s totally jam-packed and feeling comfortable right now.”

A man waits on a subway platform in Vancouver on April 22. Experts say cramped settings like transit are another potentially risky environment. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

Morris said these types of social settings where people congregate en masse — like schools, malls, stadiums and transit — will be an ongoing concern for the spread of the disease.

“Now the only way that we’ll be able to safely manage this moving forward is by getting us to a very low level, and having ongoing surveillance, and accepting that — at times — people are going to be infecting others,” he said.

“But if we have very good surveillance and contact tracing, we will be able to limit the extent of the spread once it rears its head.”

The simplest way to reduce transmission, according to Marr, is to reconfigure our lifestyles to avoid crowded indoor places, particularly those with poor ventilation.

While talking about gatherings this week, B.C. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry put it this way: “Outside is always better than inside.”

Watch Dr. Bonnie Henry explain how to safely host a barbecue:

Dr. Bonnie Henry shares her recommendations on how to create physical distance while hosting a barbecue this summer. 1:24

It’s a move that should prove easier in the summer months when restaurants and bars, for instance, can potentially open patio seating.

“I think we should try to move as many activities outdoors as possible,” Marr said. “Obviously avoiding dense crowds is a good idea and paying careful attention to ventilation in buildings is going to be helpful.”

A closed patio space is seen in downtown Vancouver on Tuesday. Providing more space for people should prove easier in the summer months when restaurants and bars can potentially open patio seating. (Maggie MacPherson/CBC)

Reconfiguring society in that way could give people open-air options to resume a somewhat normal life, while reducing their risk of catching COVID-19.

“We can’t stop it,” Marr said, “but we can slow it.”

To read the entire Second Opinion newsletter every Saturday morning, subscribe by clicking here.

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Justin Trudeau’s Announcing Cuts to Immigration Could Facilitate a Trump Win

Published

33 mins ago

November 5, 2024

Nick Kossovan

Outside of sports and a “Cold front coming down from Canada,” American news media only report on Canadian events that they believe are, or will be, influential to the US. Therefore, when Justin Trudeau’s announcement, having finally read the room, that Canada will be reducing the number of permanent residents admitted by more than 20 percent and temporary residents like skilled workers and college students will be cut by more than half made news south of the border, I knew the American media felt Trudeau’s about-face on immigration was newsworthy because many Americans would relate to Trudeau realizing Canada was accepting more immigrants than it could manage and are hoping their next POTUS will follow Trudeau’s playbook.

Canada, with lots of space and lacking convenient geographical ways for illegal immigrants to enter the country, though still many do, has a global reputation for being incredibly accepting of immigrants. On the surface, Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver appear to be multicultural havens. However, as the saying goes, “Too much of a good thing is never good,” resulting in a sharp rise in anti-immigrant sentiment, which you can almost taste in the air. A growing number of Canadians, regardless of their political affiliation, are blaming recent immigrants for causing the housing affordability crises, inflation, rise in crime and unemployment/stagnant wages.

Throughout history, populations have engulfed themselves in a tribal frenzy, a psychological state where people identify strongly with their own group, often leading to a ‘us versus them’ mentality. This has led to quick shifts from complacency to panic and finger-pointing at groups outside their tribe, a phenomenon that is not unique to any particular culture or time period.

My take on why the American news media found Trudeau’s blatantly obvious attempt to save his political career, balancing appeasement between the pitchfork crowd, who want a halt to immigration until Canada gets its house in order, and immigrant voters, who traditionally vote Liberal, newsworthy; the American news media, as do I, believe immigration fatigue is why Kamala Harris is going to lose on November 5^th.

Because they frequently get the outcome wrong, I don’t take polls seriously. According to polls in 2014, Tim Hudak’s Progressive Conservatives and Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals were in a dead heat in Ontario, yet Wynne won with more than twice as many seats. In the 2018 Quebec election, most polls had the Coalition Avenir Québec with a 1-to-5-point lead over the governing Liberals. The result: The Coalition Avenir Québec enjoyed a landslide victory, winning 74 of 125 seats. Then there’s how the 2016 US election polls showing Donald Trump didn’t have a chance of winning against Hillary Clinton were ridiculously way off, highlighting the importance of the election day poll and, applicable in this election as it was in 2016, not to discount ‘shy Trump supporters;’ voters who support Trump but are hesitant to express their views publicly due to social or political pressure.

My distrust in polls aside, polls indicate Harris is leading by a few points. One would think that Trump’s many over-the-top shenanigans, which would be entertaining were he not the POTUS or again seeking the Oval Office, would have him far down in the polls. Trump is toe-to-toe with Harris in the polls because his approach to the economy—middle-class Americans are nostalgic for the relatively strong economic performance during Trump’s first three years in office—and immigration, which Americans are hyper-focused on right now, appeals to many Americans. In his quest to win votes, Trump is doing what anyone seeking political office needs to do: telling the people what they want to hear, strategically using populism—populism that serves your best interests is good populism—to evoke emotional responses. Harris isn’t doing herself any favours, nor moving voters, by going the “But, but… the orange man is bad!” route, while Trump cultivates support from “weird” marginal voting groups.

To Harris’s credit, things could have fallen apart when Biden abruptly stepped aside. Instead, Harris quickly clinched the nomination and had a strong first few weeks, erasing the deficit Biden had given her. The Democratic convention was a success, as was her acceptance speech. Her performance at the September 10th debate with Donald Trump was first-rate.

Harris’ Achilles heel is she’s now making promises she could have made and implemented while VP, making immigration and the economy Harris’ liabilities, especially since she’s been sitting next to Biden, watching the US turn into the circus it has become. These liabilities, basically her only liabilities, negate her stance on abortion, democracy, healthcare, a long-winning issue for Democrats, and Trump’s character. All Harris has offered voters is “feel-good vibes” over substance. In contrast, Trump offers the tangible political tornado (read: steamroll the problems Americans are facing) many Americans seek. With Trump, there’s no doubt that change, admittedly in a messy fashion, will happen. If enough Americans believe the changes he’ll implement will benefit them and their country…

The case against Harris on immigration, at a time when there’s a huge global backlash to immigration, even as the American news media are pointing out, in famously immigrant-friendly Canada, is relatively straightforward: During the first three years of the Biden-Harris administration, illegal Southern border crossings increased significantly.

The words illegal immigration, to put it mildly, irks most Americans. On the legal immigration front, according to Forbes, most billion-dollar startups were founded by immigrants. Google, Microsoft, and Oracle, to name three, have immigrants as CEOs. Immigrants, with tech skills and an entrepreneurial thirst, have kept America leading the world. I like to think that Americans and Canadians understand the best immigration policy is to strategically let enough of these immigrants in who’ll increase GDP and tax base and not rely on social programs. In other words, Americans and Canadians, and arguably citizens of European countries, expect their governments to be more strategic about immigration.

The days of the words on a bronze plaque mounted inside the Statue of Liberty pedestal’s lower level, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” are no longer tolerated. Americans only want immigrants who’ll benefit America.

Does Trump demagogue the immigration issue with xenophobic and racist tropes, many of which are outright lies, such as claiming Haitian immigrants in Ohio are abducting and eating pets? Absolutely. However, such unhinged talk signals to Americans who are worried about the steady influx of illegal immigrants into their country that Trump can handle immigration so that it’s beneficial to the country as opposed to being an issue of economic stress.

In many ways, if polls are to be believed, Harris is paying the price for Biden and her lax policies early in their term. Yes, stimulus spending quickly rebuilt the job market, but at the cost of higher inflation. Loosen border policies at a time when anti-immigrant sentiment was increasing was a gross miscalculation, much like Trudeau’s immigration quota increase, and Biden indulging himself in running for re-election should never have happened.

If Trump wins, Democrats will proclaim that everyone is sexist, racist and misogynous, not to mention a likely White Supremacist, and for good measure, they’ll beat the “voter suppression” button. If Harris wins, Trump supporters will repeat voter fraud—since July, Elon Musk has tweeted on Twitter at least 22 times about voters being “imported” from abroad—being widespread.

Regardless of who wins tomorrow, Americans need to cool down; and give the divisive rhetoric a long overdue break. The right to an opinion belongs to everyone. Someone whose opinion differs from yours is not by default sexist, racist, a fascist or anything else; they simply disagree with you. Americans adopting the respectful mindset to agree to disagree would be the best thing they could do for the United States of America.

______________________________________________________________

Nick Kossovan, a self-described connoisseur of human psychology, writes about what’s

on his mind from Toronto. You can follow Nick on Twitter and Instagram @NKossovan.

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Former athletes lean on each other to lead Canada’s luge, bobsled teams

Published

41 mins ago

November 5, 2024

Anne Joseph

CALGARY – Sam Edney and Jesse Lumsden sat on a bench on Parliament Hill during an athlete celebration after the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.

Having just represented Canada in their sliding sports — Lumsden in bobsled and Edney in luge — the two men pondered their futures together.

“There was actually one moment about, are we going to keep going? Talking about, what are each of us going to do? What’s the next four years look like?” Edney recalled a decade later.

“I do remember talking about that now. That was a big moment,” Lumsden said.

As the two men were sounding boards for each other as athletes, they are again as high-performance directors of their respective sliding sports.

Edney, an Olympic relay silver medallist in 2018 and the first Canadian man to win a World Cup gold medal, became Luge Canada’s HPD upon his retirement the following year.

Lumsden, a world and World Cup bobsled champion who raced his third Olympic Games in 2018, leaned on his sliding compatriot when he returned from five years of working in the financial sector to become HPD at Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton in July.

“The first person I called when BCS reached out to me about the role that I’m in now is Sam,” Lumsden said recently at Calgary’s WinSport, where they spent much of their competitive careers and now have offices.

“It’s been four months. I was squatting in the luge offices for the first two months beside him.

“We had all these ideas about we’re going to have weekly coffees and workouts Tuesday and Thursday and in the four months now, we’ve had two coffees and zero workouts.”

Canada has won at least one sliding-sport Olympic medal in each of the last five Winter Games, but Edney and Lumsden face a challenge as team leaders that they didn’t as athletes.

WinSport’s sliding track, built for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary and where Edney and Lumsden did hundreds of runs as athletes, has been closed since 2019 needing a $25-million renovation.

There is no sign that will happen. WinSport took the $10 million the provincial government offered for the sliding track and put the money toward a renovation of the Frank King Lodge used by recreational skiers and snowboarders.

Canada’s only other sliding track in the resort town of Whistler, B.C., has a fraction of Calgary’s population from which to recruit and develop athletes.

“The comparison is if you took half the ice rinks away in the country, hockey and figure skating would be disarray,” Edney said.

“It just changes the dynamic of the sports completely, in terms of we’re now scrambling to find ways to bring people to a location that’s not as easy to get to, or to live out of, or to train out of full time.

“We’re realizing how good we had it when Calgary’s (track) was here. It’s not going to be the end of us, but it’s definitely made it more difficult.”

Lumsden, a former CFL running back as well as an Olympian, returned to a national sport organization still recovering from internal upheaval that included the athlete-led ouster of the former president and CEO after the 2022 Winter Olympics, and Olympic champion pilot Kaillie Humphries suing the organization for her release to compete for the U.S. in 2019.

“NSOs like Luge Canada and Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton, they’re startups,” Lumsden said. “You have to think like a startup, operate like a startup, job stack, do more with less, especially in the current environment.

“I felt it was the right time for me to take my sporting experience and the skill set that I learned at Neo Financial and working with some of the most talented people in Canada and try to inject that into an NSO that is in a state of distress right now, and try to work with the great staff we have and the athletes we have to start to turn this thing around.”

Edney, 40, and Lumsden, 42, take comfort in each other holding the same roles in their sports.

“It goes both ways. I couldn’t have been more excited about who they hired,” Edney said. “When Jesse was coming in, I knew that we were going to be able to collaborate and work together and get things happening for our sports.”

Added Lumsden: “We’ve been friends for a long time, so I knew how he was going to do in his role and before taking the role, having the conversation with him, I felt a lot of comfort.

“I asked ‘are you going to be around for a long time?’ He said ‘yeah, I’m not going anywhere.’ I said ‘OK, good.'”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.

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Canada’s Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Routliffe pick up second win at WTA Finals

Published

43 mins ago

November 5, 2024

Anne Joseph

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe remain undefeated in women’s doubles at the WTA Finals.

The 2023 U.S. Open champions, seeded second at the event, secured a 1-6, 7-6 (1), (11-9) super-tiebreak win over fourth-seeded Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in round-robin play on Tuesday.

The season-ending tournament features the WTA Tour’s top eight women’s doubles teams.

Dabrowski and Routliffe lost the first set in 22 minutes but levelled the match by breaking Errani’s serve three times in the second, including at 6-5. They clinched victory with Routliffe saving a match point on her serve and Dabrowski ending Errani’s final serve-and-volley attempt.

Dabrowski and Routliffe will next face fifth-seeded Americans Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk on Thursday, where a win would secure a spot in the semifinals.

The final is scheduled for Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Nov. 5, 2024.

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