Health
Mixed reactions to new COVID-19 rules as Manitoba hits highest infection rate among provinces – CBC.ca
Reactions have been mixed so far to Manitoba’s latest public health orders targeting kids in sports, unvaccinated churchgoers in the southern part of the province and hospital capacity.
But for many, one thing is certain: as Manitoba again becomes the COVID-19 hot spot among Canada’s provinces, something needs to be done.
The middle province secured that title on Friday, when its running seven-day average of new cases per 100,000 people rose to 84 a week — or 12 cases per 100,000 people a day. The province previously became Canada’s COVID-19 hot spot during the third wave in May.
The next highest provincial rate is currently in neighbouring Saskatchewan, which as of Friday had a seven-day case rate of 79 per 100,000 people.
For now, however, Saskatchewan still has a higher 14-day case rate (172 per 100,000) than Manitoba (146).
With Manitoba’s cases rising most rapidly among people under 20, some say it makes sense that new rules announced by the province Friday target kids over 11 who aren’t yet vaccinated.
Starting Dec. 6, anyone age 12 to 17 will have to have proof of at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose — or a negative rapid test result from the past 72 hours — to play indoor sports in Manitoba.
“I guess we’re not that surprised. There has been some indication that there has been some spread through youth sport activities,” Janet McMahon, president and CEO of Sport Manitoba, said following Friday’s announcement.
Sport Manitoba oversees about 70 different organizations across the province, all of which are eager to do what they can to make sure they can keep operating safely, said Janet McMahon, the organization’s president and CEO.
McMahon said the province has indicated the percentage of eligible kids who are already vaccinated is quite high, so she’s optimistic the mandate won’t have a major impact on sports that are already underway.
Parent Courtney Blocker is among those who are glad to see the new measures.
His 12-year-old daughter plays hockey in Winnipeg, and he approves of safety precautions to keep her and her teammates safe.
“There’s been experiences where teams have had outbreaks at hockey arenas, so it happens. We just have to do what we can to protect them,” he said.
Peter Woods, executive director of Hockey Manitoba, said while he guesses more than 80 per cent of his organization’s members are already immunized against COVID-19, the new rules will affect those still unsure about getting the jab.
He said Hockey Manitoba is supportive of the new rules, but he still expects to get some pushback from unvaccinated parents.
Currently, Manitoba’s public health order says anyone who is 18 or older must be vaccinated to enter an indoor sports or recreational facility.
Some parents, though, might argue they should have the option of getting tested instead of proving they’re vaccinated, like their kids will have, Woods said.
Since those tests have to be done at pharmacies, they may be hard to access for people in some areas, Woods said.
“That could create some problems and there could be a fallout,” he said.
“Some kids will probably step away from the sport.”
Meanwhile, the principal of Maples Collegiate in Winnipeg said he’s glad the province finally brought in a vaccine mandate so it doesn’t fall to individual school divisions to introduce their own rules.
“I think it’s a smart move to keep our kids safe and also to move forward to get back to the normalcy that we’re all trying to get to,” Scott Shier said.
Church rules in effect
The new public health orders also cut down gathering sizes for religious events in the Southern Health region that don’t require proof of vaccination from attendees.
The new rules in that part of Manitoba, which has some of the province’s lowest vaccination rates and highest test positivity rates, kicked in Saturday at midnight.
The mayor of Winkler said the new restrictions might be difficult for people who rely on church services in the region. But he hopes to see the southern Manitoba city’s churches — and people — follow the rules.
“Personally, I think the churches need to step up to the plate as well and say, ‘Yeah, we will comply,’ and not skirt the system, because I think that only adds to the problem,” Martin Harder said on Saturday.
“I would appreciate some grace for our community and just want to make sure that they realize we’re working together to try and get to the end game.”
Strained ICUs
Manitoba’s latest pandemic measures also include cancelling some surgeries starting next week to free up more space in the province’s strained intensive care units.
One ICU doctor says the new rules are welcome measures as the province sees a surge in COVID-19 patients landing in critical care — but they’re still likely not enough.
“The problem is that there is [less] ICU bed capacity now than there was when we had to flex up tremendously at the time of the third wave,” said Dr. Eric Jacobsohn, an attending physician at St. Boniface Hospital and Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg.
“Can we sustain another massive increase? It’s difficult to imagine how.”
He said the province needs to prepare for the worst and communicate that plan with health-care staff better than it did in the pandemic’s third wave.
“[It] is again appearing that what exactly the plans are and how to engage the front-line health-care workers is going to be ad hoc again, one day at a time — which is perplexing, to say the least,” Jacobsohn said.
Health
Whooping cough cases up slightly in N.L., as officials warn about risks to infants – CBC.ca
Newfoundland and Labrador’s top doctor is warning people to stay up to date on whooping cough vaccinations after a small increase in cases this year.
The province usually sees three to four cases of the disease annually. Up to 10 cases have been reported already since January, however, prompting the province’s chief medical officer to raise the issue publicly.
The increase “generally means there’s a little bit more circulating in the community than what’s presenting for care and testing,” Dr. Janice Fitzgerald said Tuesday.
While officials aren’t overly concerned about a future spike in cases, Fitzgerald said, higher infection rates place infants in particular at risk.
Children under the age of one aren’t yet old enough for the whooping cough vaccine and don’t have immunity to the disease, Fitzgerald said. Infections in small children can be more severe and lead to pneumonia, neurological issues and hospitalization.
Fitzgerald said parents, grandparents and caregivers should check to ensure their vaccinations are up to date.
Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, causes a persistent nagging cough that’s sometimes severe enough to cause vomiting. Vaccines for the disease are offered in early childhood, during high school and in adulthood. Booster shots should be given 10 years after the high school dose, Fitzgerald said.
“Immunity can wane over time,” she said. “Pertussis does circulate on a regular basis in our community.”
The small increase in cases isn’t yet ringing alarm bells for undervaccination within the general population, she added, noting the province still has a vaccination rate over 90 per cent.
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Health
Supervised consumption sites urgently needed, says study – Sudbury.com
A study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) said the opioid drug crisis has reached such a critical level that a public safety response is urgently required and that includes the need for expanded supervised consumption sites.
The report was published by the medical journal Monday and was authored by Shaleesa Ledlie, David N. Juurlink, Mina Tadrous, Muhammad Mamdani, J. Michael Paterson and Tara Gomes; physicians and scientists associated with the University of Toronto, Sunnybrook Research Institute and the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute at St. Michael’s Hospital.
“The drug toxicity crisis continues to accelerate across Canada, with rapid increases in opioid-related harms following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the authors wrote. “We sought to describe trends in the burden of opioid-related deaths across Canada throughout the pandemic, comparing these trends by province or territory, age and sex.”
The study determined that across Canada, the burden of premature opioid-related deaths doubled between 2019 and 2021, representing more than one-quarter of deaths among younger adults. The disproportionate loss of life in this demographic group highlights the critical need for targeted prevention efforts, said the study.
The researchers found that the death rate increased significantly as fentanyl was introduced to the mix of street drugs that individuals were using, in some cases, unknowingly.
The authors said this demonstrates the need for consumption sites, not only as overwatch as people with addictions consume their drugs, but also to make an effort to identify the substances and inform those people beforehand.
“The increased detection of fentanyl in opioid-related deaths in Canada highlights the need for expansion of harm-reduction programs, including improved access to drug-checking services, supervised consumption sites, and treatment for substance use disorders,” the authors wrote.
The study said a more intense public safety response is needed.
“Given the rapidly evolving nature of the drug toxicity crisis, a public safety response is urgently required and may include continued funding of safer opioid supply programs that were expanded beginning in March 2020, improved flexibility in take-home doses of opioid agonist treatment, and enhanced training for health care workers, harm reduction workers, and people who use drugs on appropriate responses to opioid toxicities involving polysubstance use.
In conclusion, the authors wrote that during the height of the COVID pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the burden of premature death from accidental opioid toxicities in Canada dramatically increased, especially in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.
“In 2021, more than 70 per cent of opioid-related deaths occurred among males and about 30 per cent occurred among people aged 30–39 years, representing one in every four deaths in this age group. The disproportionate rates of opioid-related deaths observed in these demographic groups highlight the critical need for the expansion of targeted harm reduction–based policies and programs across Canada,” said the study.
The full text of the report can be found online here.
Health
Business Plan Approved for Cancer Centre at NRGH – My Cowichan Valley Now
A business plan for a new BC Cancer Centre at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital has been approved by the province.
Health Minister Adrian Dix says the state-of-the-art cancer facility will benefit patients in Nanaimo and the surrounding region through the latest medical technology.
The facility will have 12 exam rooms, four consultation rooms and space for medical physicists and radiation therapists, medical imaging and radiation treatment of cancer patients.
The procurement process is underway, and construction is expected to begin in 2025 and be complete in 2028.
Upgrades to NRGH have also been approved, such as a new single-storey addition to the ambulatory care building and expanded pharmacy.
Dix says Nanaimo’s population is growing rapidly and aging, and stronger health services in the region, so people get the health care they need closer to home.
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