After more details of Nova Scotia’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout plan were released, some young people with health conditions are wondering when — and if — they will be able to get their shot.
Under the current plan, people below the age of 75 who are immunocompromised or at a high risk for COVID-19 aren’t identified as a priority group, unless they are a health-care worker or an “essential” worker, which is still being defined.
In fact, neither the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine nor the Moderna vaccine are recommended for use on immunocompromised Canadians yet.
Anthony Ha, 36, has diffuse systemic sclerosis, an underlying autoimmune condition, and the medication he takes to manage it further compromises his immune system.
While the arrival of the first batches of the vaccine in Nova Scotia signalled a glimmer of hope, Ha said he and other people who are immunocompromised were disappointed by the details of the vaccine rollout.
“The rollout was listed in three phases, but there was almost no mention of people with chronic conditions or compromised immune systems, and it just feels like that hope was taken away from us,” he said.
“We know we’re on the list, we know that we’re going to be looked at and we’re going to be in line somewhere in there, but for them to not even mention that we exist, that just kind of ripped the heart out of us.”
Anthony Ha believes the government needs to communicate better with Canadians who are immunocompromised or have chronic conditions. (Submitted by Anthony Ha)
On its website, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization says immunocompromised Canadians have not been included in clinical trials, so there’s not enough information yet on how they might respond.
“Clinical trials assessing COVID-19 vaccines should continue to be encouraged to include individuals with potential vulnerabilities to disease … to ensure that vaccine options are informed by robust safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy data,” it said.
NACI says the vaccine “should not be routinely offered to individuals who are immunosuppressed due to disease or treatment until further evidence is available.”
“However, a complete series with a COVID-19 vaccine may be offered to individuals in the authorized age group in this population if a risk assessment deems that the benefits outweigh the potential risks for the individual, and if informed consent includes discussion about the absence of evidence on the use of COVID-19 vaccine in this population,” it said.
The website also said “there is limited evidence that immunosuppression is an independent risk factor for severe COVID-19, though evidence is evolving.”
In a statement from Nova Scotia’s Health Department, a spokesperson said older age is the main individual factor for severe COVID-19 illness.
“There is work nationally, and here in Nova Scotia though our Clinical Advisory Group, to better understand how other medical conditions may increase the risk of severe COVID and where to prioritize these groups as we move to phase 2 and 3 of our program,” the email stated.
‘We spent the last year in our homes, alone’
Ha said he understands why older people need to be first in line for the vaccine, and that there is still work left to do to ensure the vaccine is safe for immunocompromised people — but he said he would appreciate more communication from the government and clear messaging they are working on it.
“We spent the last year in our homes, alone. What we really need is for them to reach out to us,” he said.
While the pandemic has been challenging, Ha said there is a silver lining: the broader public now has a better understanding of what immunocompromised people go through every day.
“They know that if you don’t wash your hands, if you don’t maintain your distance from sick people, it can cause harm to us,” he said. “In a weird way, it’s kind of nice that people are opening their eyes to the plight of people like me.”
Concerns of being left behind
Jillian Banfield, also 36, has rheumatoid arthritis and takes medication that suppresses her immune system. Banfield said she is privileged to be able to work from home and has a healthy partner who runs most of their errands.
During the pandemic, “I mostly removed myself from public life,” she said. “I’ve taken all the precautions and then some.”
She said she had hoped for more details about what the vaccine rollout could look for people like her.
“I understand they may be kind of planning as they go because these things are happening very rapidly, but I would like to see a little more thought put into what’s going to happen in phases two to three,” said Banfield.
“I’m just concerned that those of us with autoimmune disorders or suppressed immune systems are going to get left behind.”
Jillian Banfield says she hopes to not have to rely on herd immunity during the pandemic. (Contributed by Jillian Banfield)
Banfield said if she is not able to get the vaccine because of her suppressed immune system, the prospect of having to rely on herd immunity is “kind of terrifying.”
“I hope the uptake will be better than the flu vaccine, for example, but it doesn’t feel great to be relying on everyone else getting the vaccine,” she said. “It’s nice to have at least a little bit of feeling of control over these things.”
Ha also expressed concerns about having to rely on herd immunity, noting the prevalence of the “anti-vaxxer” movement.
“The possibility of having to rely on herd immunity, I mean, it’s a reality, but it’s not very comforting,” he said.
He said he had to discontinue using his medication for a few weeks when he got his MMR vaccine, which was a “calculated risk.”
Patients being ‘omitted,’ organization says
Whitney Goulstone is the executive director of the Canadian Immunodeficiencies Patient Organization, a charity that advocates for those affected by primary immunodeficiencies.
In a phone interview from Victoria, B.C., Goulstone said the organization is being inundated with questions from people across the country with primary immunodeficiencies about when they will be able to get the vaccine and if they will be able to take it.
Not being able to give them an answer, said Goulstone, is “the hardest part of my job.”
She said she hoped there will soon be a timeline about when Canadians can expect clinical trials for immunocompromised people to get underway, and is calling for them to be listed as a priority group if the vaccine is found to be safe for them.
“We need to ensure that there’s a priority so that patients can live some kind of quality of life, and we aren’t getting any kind of information about when that may happen when it comes to the vaccine rollout,” she said.
“These patients are just being omitted, which I think is not fair to them.”
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese technology group SoftBank swung back to profitability in the July-September quarter, boosted by positive results in its Vision Fund investments.
Tokyo-based SoftBank Group Corp. reported Tuesday a fiscal second quarter profit of nearly 1.18 trillion yen ($7.7 billion), compared with a 931 billion yen loss in the year-earlier period.
Quarterly sales edged up about 6% to nearly 1.77 trillion yen ($11.5 billion).
SoftBank credited income from royalties and licensing related to its holdings in Arm, a computer chip-designing company, whose business spans smartphones, data centers, networking equipment, automotive, consumer electronic devices, and AI applications.
The results were also helped by the absence of losses related to SoftBank’s investment in office-space sharing venture WeWork, which hit the previous fiscal year.
WeWork, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2023, emerged from Chapter 11 in June.
SoftBank has benefitted in recent months from rising share prices in some investment, such as U.S.-based e-commerce company Coupang, Chinese mobility provider DiDi Global and Bytedance, the Chinese developer of TikTok.
SoftBank’s financial results tend to swing wildly, partly because of its sprawling investment portfolio that includes search engine Yahoo, Chinese retailer Alibaba, and artificial intelligence company Nvidia.
SoftBank makes investments in a variety of companies that it groups together in a series of Vision Funds.
The company’s founder, Masayoshi Son, is a pioneer in technology investment in Japan. SoftBank Group does not give earnings forecasts.
Shopify Inc. executives brushed off concerns that incoming U.S. President Donald Trump will be a major detriment to many of the company’s merchants.
“There’s nothing in what we’ve heard from Trump, nor would there have been anything from (Democratic candidate) Kamala (Harris), which we think impacts the overall state of new business formation and entrepreneurship,” Shopify’s chief financial officer Jeff Hoffmeister told analysts on a call Tuesday.
“We still feel really good about all the merchants out there, all the entrepreneurs that want to start new businesses and that’s obviously not going to change with the administration.”
Hoffmeister’s comments come a week after Trump, a Republican businessman, trounced Harris in an election that will soon return him to the Oval Office.
On the campaign trail, he threatened to impose tariffs of 60 per cent on imports from China and roughly 10 per cent to 20 per cent on goods from all other countries.
If the president-elect makes good on the promise, many worry the cost of operating will soar for companies, including customers of Shopify, which sells e-commerce software to small businesses but also brands as big as Kylie Cosmetics and Victoria’s Secret.
These merchants may feel they have no choice but to pass on the increases to customers, perhaps sparking more inflation.
If Trump’s tariffs do come to fruition, Shopify’s president Harley Finkelstein pointed out China is “not a huge area” for Shopify.
However, “we can’t anticipate what every presidential administration is going to do,” he cautioned.
He likened the uncertainty facing the business community to the COVID-19 pandemic where Shopify had to help companies migrate online.
“Our job is no matter what comes the way of our merchants, we provide them with tools and service and support for them to navigate it really well,” he said.
Finkelstein was questioned about the forthcoming U.S. leadership change on a call meant to delve into Shopify’s latest earnings, which sent shares soaring 27 per cent to $158.63 shortly after Tuesday’s market open.
The Ottawa-based company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, reported US$828 million in net income for its third quarter, up from US$718 million in the same quarter last year, as its revenue rose 26 per cent.
Revenue for the period ended Sept. 30 totalled US$2.16 billion, up from US$1.71 billion a year earlier.
Subscription solutions revenue reached US$610 million, up from US$486 million in the same quarter last year.
Merchant solutions revenue amounted to US$1.55 billion, up from US$1.23 billion.
Shopify’s net income excluding the impact of equity investments totalled US$344 million for the quarter, up from US$173 million in the same quarter last year.
Daniel Chan, a TD Cowen analyst, said the results show Shopify has a leadership position in the e-commerce world and “a continued ability to gain market share.”
In its outlook for its fourth quarter of 2024, the company said it expects revenue to grow at a mid-to-high-twenties percentage rate on a year-over-year basis.
“Q4 guidance suggests Shopify will finish the year strong, with better-than-expected revenue growth and operating margin,” Chan pointed out in a note to investors.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
TORONTO – RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust says it has cut almost 10 per cent of its staff as it deals with a slowdown in the condo market and overall pushes for greater efficiency.
The company says the cuts, which amount to around 60 employees based on its last annual filing, will mean about $9 million in restructuring charges and should translate to about $8 million in annualized cash savings.
The job cuts come as RioCan and others scale back condo development plans as the market softens, but chief executive Jonathan Gitlin says the reductions were from a companywide efficiency effort.
RioCan says it doesn’t plan to start any new construction of mixed-use properties this year and well into 2025 as it adjusts to the shifting market demand.
The company reported a net income of $96.9 million in the third quarter, up from a loss of $73.5 million last year, as it saw a $159 million boost from a favourable change in the fair value of investment properties.
RioCan reported what it says is a record-breaking 97.8 per cent occupancy rate in the quarter including retail committed occupancy of 98.6 per cent.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
