Health Canada has approved a new vaccine geared toward protecting two groups most severely affected by the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV): newborns, who would receive antibodies through maternal immunization, and Canadians over 60.
Pfizer Canada’s bivalent vaccine, called Abrysvo, aims to prevent lower respiratory tract disease caused by the virus.
It is the first RSV vaccine in Canada approved for use in pregnancy to provide protection for infants from birth to six months of age, and the second approved for seniors aged 60 and over.
RSV is a common but highly contagious respiratory virus that typically causes cold-like symptoms. For more vulnerable populations — including infants, older adults or those with respiratory or cardiac conditions — RSV can lead to more severe illness, such as bronchiolitis or pneumonia, and potential hospitalization.
An electron micrograph of respiratory syncytial virus, also known as RSV. (CDC/The Associated Press)
A one-shot dose of the Pfizer vaccine given to pregnant individuals during the third trimester (from 32 through 36 weeks) would produce antibodies that pass from parent to the infant. Immunization during pregnancy is already recommended for other diseases, including COVID-19, influenza and pertussis.
RSV is a leading cause of hospitalization in infants and young children.
“The first time that an infant encounters RSV and they have no prior immunity to the virus at all, that’s when the virus has the greatest chance of getting from the upper respiratory tract and down into the lungs,” explained Dr. Jesse Papenburg, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at the Montreal Children’s Hospital.
“When they have a lung infection, it’s difficult for them to have to deal with those secretions in the lungs. They may require help in terms of oxygen support, ventilatory support or IV hydration because they’re having such a hard time breathing that they wind up not even being able to drink.”
The availability of a vaccine given during pregnancy, as well as an antibody drug that can be given to newborns and infants, potentially could “substantially reduce the burden of RSV in Canadian children,” he noted.
Consideration of availability, accessibility
According to Health Canada, federal officials will now work with provincial and territorial counterparts to determine interest, potential demand and timelines of introducing these products into RSV vaccination programs.
“We’re looking at the winter of 2024-25. That’s when I would expect to see one or both of these products being available for use in Canada,” Papenburg said.
Key factors include availability — nirsevimab, for example, was approved in Canada in 2023 but there was none available due to extremely high demand in the U.S., Papenburg said — and whether the products will be accessible to every Canadian who wants them.
“I’m a big proponent of universal vaccination programs, but we still can’t neglect the cost of these universal vaccination programs on our health-care system. So these economic analyses are important to help us better decide how to use our health-care dollars,” he said.
ERs under pressure from staffing shortages, respiratory illnesses
Staffing shortages and a surge in respiratory illnesses are putting pressure on Canada’s emergency rooms, and experts are urging people to update their vaccinations.
Amid the current cold and flu season, rising cases of RSV, influenza, COVID-19 and other viruses have put intense pressure on emergency rooms across the country.
The introduction of new tools to fight RSV can’t come soon enough, according Dr. Fatima Kakkar, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist and clinician-researcher at Sainte-Justine University Health Center in Montreal.
“They should be absolutely widely available. I think the provincial committees have a job to sort of make the official recommendations and encourage people and set up the optimal timing,” she said.
“We can’t really delay one or two years.”
A spokesperson for Pfizer Canada said the company is assessing the availability of its RSV vaccine, consulting with different stakeholders regarding cost and on how to bring it to Canadians “as quickly as possible.”
LONGUEUIL, Que. – People in a part of Longueuil, Que., were being asked to stay indoors with their doors and windows closed on Thursday morning after a train derailed, spilling an unknown quantity of hydrogen peroxide.
Police from the city just east of Montreal said it didn’t appear anyone was hurt, although a CN rail official told a news conference that three employees had been taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.
The derailment happened at around 9 a.m. in the LeMoyne area, near the intersection of St-Louis and St-Georges streets. Mathieu Gaudreault, a spokesman for CN rail, said about eight cars derailed at the Southwark rail facility, including four that toppled over.
“As of this morning, the information we have is it’s hydrogen peroxide that was in the rail car and created the fumes we saw,” he said, adding that there was no risk of fire.
François Boucher, a spokesman for the Longueuil police department, said police were asking people in the area, including students at nearby schools, to stay indoors while experts ensure the air is safe to breathe.
“It is as a preventive measure that we encourage people to really avoid exposing themselves unnecessarily,” he told reporters near the scene.
Police and fire officials were on site, as well as CN railworkers, and a large security perimeter was erected.
Officers were asking people to avoid the sector, and the normally busy Highway 116 was closed in the area. The confinement notice includes everyone within 800 metres of the derailment, officials said, who added that it would be lifted once a team with expertise in dangerous materials has given the green light.
In addition to closing doors and windows, people in the area covered by the notice are asked to close heating, ventilation and air exchange systems, and to stay as far from windows as possible.
Gaudreault said it wasn’t yet clear what caused the derailment. The possibilities include a problem with the track, a problem with a manoeuvre, or a mechanical issue, he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.
HALIFAX – Nova Scotia’s Liberal party is promising to improve cellphone service and invest in major highways if the party is elected to govern on Nov. 26.
Party leader Zach Churchill says a Liberal government would spend $60 million on building 87 new cellphone towers, which would be in addition to the $66 million the previous Progressive Conservative government committed to similar projects last year.
As well, Churchill confirmed the Liberals want to improve the province’s controlled access highways by adding exits along Highway 104 across the top of the mainland, and building a bypass along Highway 101 near Digby.
Churchill says the Liberals would add $40 million to the province’s $500 million capital budget for highways.
Meanwhile, the leaders of the three major political parties were expected to spend much of today preparing for a televised debate that will be broadcast tonight at 6 p.m. local time.
Churchill will face off against Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Houston and NDP Leader Claudia Chender during a 90-minute debate that will be carried live on CBC TV and streamed online.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.
TORONTO – A group of hotel service workers in Toronto is set to hold a rally today outside the Fairmont Royal York to demand salary increases as hotel costs in the city skyrocket during Taylor Swift’s concerts.
Unite Here Local 75, the union representing 8,000 hospitality workers in the Greater Toronto Area, says Royal York employees have not seen a salary increase since 2021, and have been negotiating a new contract with the hotel since 2022.
The rally comes as the megastar begins her series of six sold-out concerts in Toronto, with the last show scheduled for Nov. 23.
During show weekends, some hotel rooms and short-term rentals in Toronto are priced up to 10 times more than other weekends, with some advertised for as much as $2,000 per night.
The union says hotel workers who will be serving Swifties during her Toronto stops are bargaining for raises to keep up with the rising cost of living.
The union represents hospitality workers including food service employees, room attendants and bell persons.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.
