Business
China’s Sinovac coronavirus vaccine induces quick immune response: study – Global News
Sinovac Biotech’s experimental coronavirus vaccine CoronaVac triggered a quick immune response but the level of antibodies produced was lower than in people who had recovered from the disease, according to preliminary trial results.
While the early to mid-stage trials were not designed to assess the efficacy of CoronaVac, researchers said it could provide sufficient protection, based on their experience with other vaccines and data from preclinical studies with macaques.
The study comes hot on the heels of upbeat news this month from U.S. drugmakers Pfizer and Moderna as well as Russia that showed their experimental vaccines were over 90 per cent effective based on interim data from large, late-stage trials
CoronaVac and four other experimental vaccines developed in China are currently undergoing late-stage trials to determine their effectiveness in preventing COVID-19.
The Sinovac findings, published on Tuesday in a peer-reviewed paper in medical journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases, came from results in Phase I and Phase II clinical trials in China involving more than 700 participants.
“Our findings show that CoronaVac is capable of inducing a quick antibody response within four weeks of immunization by giving two doses of the vaccine at a 14-day interval,” Zhu Fengcai, one of the authors of the paper, said.
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“We believe that this makes the vaccine suitable for emergency use during the pandemic,” Zhu said in a statement published alongside the paper.
Researchers said the findings from large, late-stage studies, or Phase III trials, would be crucial to determine if the immune response generated by CoronaVac was sufficient to protect people from the coronavirus infection.
Sinovac is currently running three Phase 3 trials in Indonesia, Brazil and Turkey.
The results must be interpreted with caution until Phase III results are published, Naor Bar-Zeev, a professor from Johns Hopkins University who was not involved in the study, said.
“But even then, after Phase 3 trial completion and after licensure, we should prudently remain cautious,” he said.
CoronaVac is one of three experimental COVID-19 vaccines China has been using to inoculate hundreds of thousands of people under an emergency use program.
The two other vaccines in China’s emergency program, both developed by institutes linked to Sinopharm, and another vaccine from CanSino Biologics, were also shown to be safe and triggered immune responses in early and mid-stage trials, peer-reviewed papers show.
Gang Zeng, a Sinovac researcher involved in the CoronaVac study, said the vaccine could be an attractive option because it can be stored at normal fridge temperatures of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius (36°-46°F) and may remain stable for up to three years.
“(It) would offer some advantages for distribution to regions where access to refrigeration is challenging,” the author said.
Vaccines developed by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna use a new technology called synthetic messenger RNA (mRNA) to activate the immune system against the virus and require far colder storage.
Pfizer’s vaccine must be stored and transported at -70C though it can be kept in a normal fridge for up to five days, or up to 15 days in a thermal shipping box. Moderna’s candidate is expected to be stable at normal fridge temperatures for 30 days but for storage of up to six months it needs to be kept at -20C.
CoronaVac is also being considered by Brazil and Indonesia for inoculations in the coming months.
Indonesia has sought emergency authorisation to start a mass vaccination campaign by the end of the year and vaccines produced by Sinovac and China’s Sinopharm are slated to be used in the early stages of the campaign.
Brazil’s Sao Paulo also plans to roll out CoronaVac as early as January and has agreed a supply deal with Sinovac.
“The excellent safety of CoronaVac, compared to other vaccines under development, makes for greater acceptance by the population,” Ricardo Palacios, trial manager of Brazil’s Butantan Institute biomedical center, which is testing CoronaVac, told Reuters.
— Additional reporting by Anthony Boadle, Reuters
© 2020 Reuters
Business
Gas prices in the Thompson Okanagan jumped by 7 cents a litre, days before the next carbon tax increase – Vernon News – Castanet.net
Some area gas stations are not waiting until April 1 to crank up the price of gas.
On April Fools Day, the federal Liberals will be increasing the controversial carbon tax, which will directly impact the price at the pump.
However, overnight, several Thompson Okanagan gas stations have already increased the price, selling the liquid gold for 174.9.
In January, gas was selling for a ‘mere’ 143.9 cents a litre. The latest hike is a whopping 31-cent-a-litre increase in just three months.
And the price of petrol is guaranteed to go up again when the carbon tax increase is implemented on Monday.
Kelowna drivers are also paying more at the pump today, with the majority of stations raising the price to 174.9.
As of 9:30 Thursday morning, the Co-op stations on Rutland and Sexsmith roads were at 168.9 as was the Costco gas station.
Several Vernon stations are holding at 167.9.
In Penticton, motorists are also paying more, with the price at the majority of stations hitting the 174.9 mark.
Kamloops drivers are also taking a hit to the wallet with gas in the Thompson community also selling for 174.9.
The Kamloops Costco was the cheapest in the city at 161.9 cents a litre.
Enderby continues to have some of the cheapest gas in the region at 165.9, however the Esso in Tappen has them all beat at 157.9.
Gas in Vancouver has crested the $2 a litre mark, sitting at 202.9 cents a litre.
And as usual, Calgary motorists are paying significantly less than their BC counterparts, filling up for 154.9 cents a litre.
Business
Calgary breaks all-time record in housing starts but increasing demand keeps inventory low – CBC.ca
Soaring housing demands in Calgary led to an all-time record for new residential builds last year, but inventory levels of completed and unsold units remained low due to demand outpacing supply.
According to the latest report from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), total housing starts increased by 13 per cent in Calgary, reaching a total of 19,579 units with growth across all dwelling types in the city.
That compares to a decline of 0.5 per cent overall for housing starts in the six major Canadian cities surveyed by CMHC.
Calgary also had the highest housing starts by population.
“Part of the reason why we think that might have happened is that developers are responding to low vacancies in the rental market,” said Adebola Omosola, a housing economics specialist with CMHC.
“The population of Calgary is still growing, a record number of people moved here last year, and we still expect that to remain at least in the short term.”
Earlier this year, the Calgary Real Estate Board also predicted that demand, especially for rental apartments, wouldn’t let up any time soon.
Industry can cope with demand, expert says
According to numbers from the report, average construction times were higher in 2023 for all dwelling types except for apartments.
The agency’s report suggests the increase in the number of under-construction residential projects might mean builders are operating at or near full capacity.
However, there’s optimism the construction industry can match the increasing need.
Brian Hahn, CEO of BILD Calgary Region, said despite concerns around about construction costs, project timelines and labour shortages, the industry has kept up with the demand for new builds.
“I’ve heard that kind of conversation at the end of 2022 and I heard it in 2023,” Hahn said.
“Yet here we are early in 2024, and January and February were record numbers again.”
Hahn added he believes the current pace of construction will continue for at least the next six months and that the industry is looking at initiatives to attract more people to the trades.
Increase in row house and apartment construction
Construction growth was largely driven by new apartment projects, making up almost half of the housing starts in Calgary in 2023.
The federal housing agency says 9,034 apartment units were started that year, an increase of 17 per cent from the previous year. Of those, about 54 per cent were purpose-built rentals.
Apartments made up around two-thirds of all units under construction, CMHC said, with the total number of units under construction reaching 23,473.
Growth, however, was seen across all dwelling types. Row homes increased by 34 per cent from the previous year while groundbreaking on single-detached homes grew by two per cent.
“Notwithstanding challenges, our members and the industry counterparts that support them managed to produce a record amount of starts and completions,” Hahn said.
“I have little doubt that the industry will do their very best to keep pace at those levels.”
Business
Ottawa real estate: House starts down, apartments up in 2023 – CTV News Ottawa
Rental housing dominated construction in Ottawa last year, according to a new report from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).
Residential construction declined significantly in 2023, with housing starts dropping to 9,245 units, a 19.5 per cent decline from the record high observed in 2022. But while single-detached and row housing starts fell compared to 2022, new construction for rental units and condominiums rose.
“There’s been a shift toward rental construction over the past two years. Rental housing starts made up nearly one third of total starts in 2023, close to double the average of the previous five years,” the report stated.
Apartment starts reached their highest level since the 1970s.
“The trend toward rental and condominium apartment construction follows increased demand in these market segments due to population growth, households looking for affordable options, and some seniors downsizing to smaller units,” the CMHC said.
Demand from international migration and students, the high cost of home ownership, and people moving to Ottawa from other parts of Ontario were the main drivers for rental housing starts in 2023. The CMHC says rental and condominium apartment starts made up 63 per cent of total starts in 2023, compared to the average of 37 per cent for the period 2018-2022.
There was a modest increase in rental housing starts in 2023 over the record-high seen the year prior and a jump in new condominiums. The report shows 5,846 new apartments were built in Ottawa last year, up 2.1 per cent compared to 2022.
Big demand for condos
The CMHC said condo starts reached a new high in 2023, increasing 3 per cent from 2022 numbers.
“As of the end of 2023, there were only 13 completed and unsold condominium units, highlighting continued demand for new units,” the CMHC said.
Condominum starts increased in areas such as Chinatown, Hintonburg, Vanier and Alta Vista, as well as some suburban areas like Kanata, Stittsville, and western Orléans. Condo apartment construction declined in denser parts of the city like downtown, Lowertown and Centretown, the report says.
Taller buildings are also becoming more common, as the cranes dotting the skyline can attest. The CMHC notes that buildings with more than 20 storeys accounted for nearly 10 per cent of apartment structure starts in 2022 and 2023, compared to an average of 2 per cent over the 2017-2021 period. The number of units per building also rose 7 per cent compared to 2022.
Single-detached home construction down significantly
The number of new single-detached homes built in Ottawa last year was the lowest level seen in the city since the mid 1990s, CMHC said.
“The Ottawa area experienced a slowdown in residential construction in 2023, driven by a significant decline in single-detached and row housing starts,” the CMHC said.
Single-detached housing starts were down 45 per cent compared to 2022. Row house starts dropped by 38 per cent compared to 2022, marking a third year of declines in a row.
“Demand for single-detached and row houses also declined in 2023. Higher mortgage rates and home prices have led to a shift in demand toward more affordable rental and condominium units,” the report said.
There were 1,535 single-detached housing starts in Ottawa last year, 208 new semi-detached homes and 1,678 new row houses.
The majority of single-detached and row housing starts were built in suburban communities such as Barrhaven, Stittsville, Kanata, Orléans and rural parts of the city.
“Increased construction costs resulting from higher financing rates and inflation that occurred in 2022 and 2023 contributed to the decline in construction in the region,” the CMHC said.
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