TORONTO —
Reinfections of COVID-19 have already occurred in Canada, according to new data, but the way this phenomenon is tracked across the country varies province to province — something experts say could leave a gap in our understanding of how the virus works.
Exactly how long a person is immune after recovering from COVID-19 is still one of the pandemic’s mysteries. All evidence so far suggests that reinfection is rare, and that second infections are milder.
According to the Provincial Health Services Authority in British Columbia, the province has had three confirmed cases of reinfection since the start of the pandemic: one in the Vancouver Coastal Health region and two in the Fraser Health Authority region.
The health authority told CTVNews.ca by email that the first confirmed reinfection was in July, and that two more cases followed in October and November.
These appear to be the first confirmed cases of reinfection for Canada, although more information on the cases was not immediately available.
A potential case of reinfection in Nova Scotia made headlines this fall when it was announced, but according to officials, it still hasn’t been confirmed.
“In September, we announced an individual who tested positive for COVID-19 after previously recovering from the virus a few months earlier,” Marla MacInnis, a spokesperson with the Department of Health and Wellness, told CTVNews.ca by email. “The individual was tested twice. The first test was indeterminate, and the second test just met the threshold for positive. We continue to work with the national lab to identify whether this was a true reinfection but are aware that we may never be able to confirm.”
The province has had no other reinfections, she said.
In some regions, the data gets murky.
Alberta Health Services confirmed to CTVNews.ca that they are “monitoring re-infections, among other ongoing surveillance.”
However, they couldn’t say whether they had detected any reinfections.
“That data is not currently available,” Tom McMillan, assistant director of communications at Alberta Health Services, said in an email. “We are exploring ways to effectively report these in the future.”
Noemie Vanheuverzwijn, a spokesperson for Quebec’s Health Department told CTVNews.ca that they do have some cases they’re investigating, saying in an emailed statement that “cases with a second episode of COVID-19 are under genomic analysis to assess whether they are reinfection cases.”
But the number of cases is unknown.
“Our system does not currently allow us to obtain the number of cases, but we are working to ensure that this data is eventually included in our database,” she wrote.
REINFECTIONS AND VARIANTS
In the grand scope of things, reinfections are rare — a tracker run by BNO News has found 47 confirmed cases of reinfection reported worldwide, with thousands of suspected cases.
So why does it matter that the tracking of reinfections in Canada seems to be spotty?
Dr. Matthew Oughton, an infectious disease specialist and assistant professor at McGill University, told CTVNews.ca that a better picture of where reinfections are occurring could help us track variants as well.
“While we are trying to identify where these different variants are appearing, this is one of the indicators you could choose to more quickly identify the emergence of a possible variant,” Oughton said. “Because […] the information we have appears to be that variants are probably — and again, I say probably — more likely to cause reinfection.”
He said scientists believe that the different mutations the variants have could enable them to reinfect where the original strain wouldn’t be able to.
“We don’t know everything by a long stretch, but some of what we know is that the antigens, the parts of the virus that appear to people’s immune systems, are different enough in these variants that the immunity that was generated from […] the natural infection with the sort of original or wild type SARS-CoV-2 doesn’t perfectly connote the same kind of immunity to these variants because they’re different enough,” Oughton said.
Research is ongoing into variants and reinfection in many regions, but not much data is available yet. It is theorized to be one of the factors behind a recent and huge spike of cases in Manaus, Brazil, despite the fact that three-fourths of the city was believed to have been previously infected, and should have had some degree of immunity. Two variants, B.1.1.7 and P.1 were detected in Manaus in January, according to a Lancet article investigating the resurgence of cases.
Oughton pointed out that the longer it has been since a person’s initial infection, the more likely it is that their immunity has waned, and that they could be reinfected.
“Not all reinfections are created equally,” he said. “So far, the reinfections that have been identified and reported in various case series seem to be generally less severe than the initial infection.”
Notable exceptions include the first confirmed case of reinfection in the U.S. last spring, where the patient was proven to have been infected with a distinctly different strain of SARS-CoV-2, and had a more severe reaction the second time.
But even if reinfection isn’t always a threat to an individual’s life, it still comes with a public health risk, because that individual could transmit the virus without knowing, while thinking they are still immune from it.
“I think this is obviously something that [is of a] fairly large importance in terms of what that could mean for [the] burden on local health care systems and what that could mean in terms of the need for speeding up our relatively slow roll out of vaccination,” Oughton said.
Some regions of Canada are keeping an eye out, and have found no confirmed cases of reinfection yet.
Saskatchewan Health Authority told CTVNews.ca in an email that they would track reinfections if any had been located, but that “there are no Saskatchewan cases that are considered re-infected.”
Public Health Ontario (PHO), an arm’s length Crown agency that provides scientific and technical support to the region’s public health units in order to inform the COVID-19 response, told CTVNews.ca that they do “monitor for incidents of COVID-19 reinfection in Ontario based on the case definition set out by the province.”
The definition for a confirmed case of re-infection in Ontario is fairly complex. According to the government and PHO, a person may be considered to be re-infected if there is “time-based or test-based clearance in between the two infections,” and genome sequencing has proven that the two separate infections of SARS-CoV-2 either “belong to different genetic clades or lineages OR ii) sufficient single nucleotide variations to correlate with the probability that the two episodes are caused by different viral lineages.”
A provincial spokesperson from Manitoba told CTVNews.ca that the province has not identified any confirmed reinfections, but does track them.
However, their definition for what would constitute a reinfection seems to differ from Ontario’s.
The spokesperson said in an email that “we would consider a case a re-infection if individuals test positive for a repeat time three months following a previous infection and have a compatible clinical history which may include a known new exposure to the virus.”
The way healthcare is delivered in Canada presents issues for obtaining consistent data across the country, Oughton said.
“We come across this all the time, that different provinces use different definitions, they have different guidelines, they collect data in different fashions, […] and trying to build a coherent picture across the country, that makes it very, very challenging,” Oughton said.
“This is yet another example where there should be a common set of definitions, which would then allow you to build a common set of tools to collect data and get a better picture as to what’s happening across the country.”
The main issue with reinfection is how many questions still remain, Oughton said.
Does the severity of the initial infection have a bearing on reinfection? Are certain people more likely to get reinfected, and if so, why? Do different variants increase the chance of reinfection more than other variants? Do variants cause those who grow ill to have a shorter period of immunity after recovering?
Research is ongoing into these topics across the globe, but without more consistent data, the answers to those questions, and more, could remain out of reach.
Netflix on Thursday reported that its subscriber growth slowed dramatically during the summer, a sign the huge gains from the video-streaming service’s crackdown on freeloading viewers is tapering off.
The 5.1 million subscribers that Netflix added during the July-September period represented a 42% decline from the total gained during the same time last year. Even so, the company’s revenue and profit rose at a faster pace than analysts had projected, according to FactSet Research.
Netflix ended September with 282.7 million worldwide subscribers — far more than any other streaming service.
The Los Gatos, California, company earned $2.36 billion, or $5.40 per share, a 41% increase from the same time last year. Revenue climbed 15% from a year ago to $9.82 billion. Netflix management predicted the company’s revenue will rise at the same 15% year-over-year pace during the October-December period, slightly than better than analysts have been expecting.
The strong financial performance in the past quarter coupled with the upbeat forecast eclipsed any worries about slowing subscriber growth. Netflix’s stock price surged nearly 4% in extended trading after the numbers came out, building upon a more than 40% increase in the company’s shares so far this year.
The past quarter’s subscriber gains were the lowest posted in any three-month period since the beginning of last year. That drop-off indicates Netflix is shifting to a new phase after reaping the benefits from a ban on the once-rampant practice of sharing account passwords that enabled an estimated 100 million people watch its popular service without paying for it.
The crackdown, triggered by a rare loss of subscribers coming out of the pandemic in 2022, helped Netflix add 57 million subscribers from June 2022 through this June — an average of more than 7 million per quarter, while many of its industry rivals have been struggling as households curbed their discretionary spending.
Netflix’s gains also were propelled by a low-priced version of its service that included commercials for the first time in its history. The company still is only getting a small fraction of its revenue from the 2-year-old advertising push, but Netflix is intensifying its focus on that segment of its business to help boost its profits.
In a letter to shareholder, Netflix reiterated previous cautionary notes about its expansion into advertising, though the low-priced option including commercials has become its fastest growing segment.
“We have much more work to do improving our offering for advertisers, which will be a priority over the next few years,” Netflix management wrote in the letter.
As part of its evolution, Netflix has been increasingly supplementing its lineup of scripted TV series and movies with live programming, such as a Labor Day spectacle featuring renowned glutton Joey Chestnut setting a world record for gorging on hot dogs in a showdown with his longtime nemesis Takeru Kobayashi.
Netflix will be trying to attract more viewer during the current quarter with a Nov. 15 fight pitting former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson against Jake Paul, a YouTube sensation turned boxer, and two National Football League games on Christmas Day.
REGINA – Saskatchewan’s provincial election is on Oct. 28. Here’s a look at some of the campaign promises made by the two major parties:
Saskatchewan Party
— Continue withholding federal carbon levy payments to Ottawa on natural gas until the end of 2025.
— Reduce personal income tax rates over four years; a family of four would save $3,400.
— Double the Active Families Benefit to $300 per child per year and the benefit for children with disabilities to $400 a year.
— Direct all school divisions to ban “biological boys” from girls’ change rooms in schools.
— Increase the First-Time Homebuyers Tax Credit to $15,000 from $10,000.
— Reintroduce the Home Renovation Tax Credit, allowing homeowners to claim up to $4,000 in renovation costs on their income taxes; seniors could claim up to $5,000.
— Extend coverage for insulin pumps and diabetes supplies to seniors and young adults
— Provide a 50 per cent refundable tax credit — up to $10,000 — to help cover the cost of a first fertility treatment.
— Hire 100 new municipal officers and 70 more officers with the Saskatchewan Marshals Service.
— Amend legislation to provide police with more authority to address intoxication, vandalism and disturbances on public property.
— Platform cost of $1.2 billion, with deficits in the first three years and a small surplus in 2027.
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NDP
— Pause the 15-cent-a-litre gas tax for six months, saving an average family about $350.
— Remove the provincial sales tax from children’s clothes and ready-to-eat grocery items like rotisserie chickens and granola bars.
— Pass legislation to limit how often and how much landlords can raise rent.
— Repeal the law that requires parental consent when children under 16 want to change their names or pronouns at school.
— Launch a provincewide school nutrition program.
— Build more schools and reduce classroom sizes.
— Hire 800 front-line health-care workers in areas most in need.
— Launch an accountability commission to investigate cost overruns for government projects.
— Scrap the marshals service.
— Hire 100 Mounties and expand detox services.
— Platform cost of $3.5 billion, with small deficits in the first three years and a small surplus in the fourth year.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct .17, 2024.
VANCOUVER – More than a million British Columbians have already cast their provincial election ballots, smashing the advance voting record ahead of what weather forecasters say will be a rain-drenched election day in much of B.C., with snow also predicted for the north.
Elections BC said Thursday that 1,001,331 people had cast ballots in six days of advance voting, easily breaking a record set during the pandemic election four years ago.
More than 28 per cent of all registered electors have voted, potentially putting the province on track for a big final turnout on Saturday.
“It reflects what I believe, which is this election is critically important for the future of our province,” New Democrat Leader David Eby said Thursday at a news conference in Vancouver. “I understand why British Columbians are out in numbers. We haven’t seen questions like this on the ballot in a generation.”
He said voters are faced with the choice of supporting his party’s plans to improve affordability, public health care and education, while the B.C. Conservatives, led by John Rustad, are proposing to cut services and are fielding candidates who support conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic and espouse racist views.
Rustad held no public availabilities on Thursday.
Elections BC said the record advance vote tally includes about 223,000 people who voted on the final day of advance voting Wednesday, the last day of advance polls, shattering the one-day record set on Tuesday by more than 40,000 votes.
The previous record for advance voting in a B.C. election was set in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, when about 670,000 people voted early, representing about 19 per cent of registered voters.
Some ridings have now seen turnout of more than 35 per cent, including in NDP Leader David Eby’s Vancouver-Point Grey riding where 36.5 per cent of all electors have voted.
There has also been big turnout in some Vancouver Island ridings, including Oak Bay-Gordon Head, where 39 per cent of electors have voted, and Victoria-Beacon Hill, where Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau is running, with 37.2 per cent.
Advance voter turnout in Rustad’s riding of Nechako Lakes was 30.5 per cent.
Total turnout in 2020 was 54 per cent, down from about 61 per cent in 2017.
Stewart Prest, a political science lecturer at the University of British Columbia, said many factors are at play in the advance voter turnout.
“If you have an early option, if you have an option where there are fewer crowds, fewer lineups that you have to deal with, then that’s going to be a much more desirable option,” said Prest.
“So, having the possibility of voting across multiple advanced voting days is something that more people are looking to as a way to avoid last-minute lineups or heavy weather.”
Voters along the south coast of British Columbia who have not cast their ballots yet will have to contend with heavy rain and high winds from an incoming atmospheric river weather system on election day.
Environment Canada said the weather system will bring prolonged heavy rain to Metro Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast, Fraser Valley, Howe Sound, Whistler and Vancouver Island starting Friday.
Eby said the forecast of an atmospheric weather storm on election day will become a “ballot question” for some voters who are concerned about the approaches the parties have towards addressing climate change.
But he said he is confident people will not let the storm deter them from voting.
“I know British Columbians are tough and they’re not going to let even an atmospheric river stop them from voting,” said Eby.
In northern B.C., heavy snow is in the forecast starting Friday and through to Saturday for areas along the Yukon boundary.
Elections BC said it will focus on ensuring it is prepared for bad weather, said Andrew Watson, senior director of communications.
“We’ve also been working with BC Hydro to make sure that they’re aware of all of our voting place locations so that they can respond quickly if there are any power outages,” he said.
Elections BC also has paper backups for all of its systems in case there is a power outage, forcing them to go through manual procedures, Watson said.
Prest said the dramatic downfall of the Official Opposition BC United Party just before the start of the campaign and voter frustration could also be contributing to the record size of the advance vote.
It’s too early to say if the province is experiencing a “renewed enthusiasm for voting,” he said.
“As a political scientist, I think it would be a good thing to see, but I’m not ready to conclude that’s what we are seeing just yet,” he said, adding, “this is one of the storylines to watch come Saturday.”
Overall turnout in B.C. elections has generally been dwindling compared with the 71.5 per cent turnout for the 1996 vote.
Adam Olsen, Green Party campaign chair, said the advance voting turnout indicates people are much more engaged in the campaign than they were in the weeks leading up to the start of the campaign in September.
“All we know so far is that people are excited to go out and vote early,” he said. “The real question will be does that voter turnout stay up throughout election night?”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.
Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version said more than 180,000 voters cast their votes on Wednesday.
