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Omicron rapidly shifts the need for boosters in Canada – CBC News

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This is an excerpt from Second Opinion, a weekly roundup of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers every Saturday morning. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here.

Omicron is ramping up the push for widespread boosters in Canada, shifting the conversation away from providing added protection to the most vulnerable and toward giving everyone eligible an additional shot to stave off potential spread of the highly transmissible variant. 

Canada has seen dozens of omicron cases emerge in the two weeks since the variant was first identified, and new data from around the world has public health officials on high alert for signs of wider spread here. 

But while there is growing concern about the threat of omicron as we learn more about it in real time, there are also early, hopeful signs that it may not cause as severe illness as previous variants and that boosters may be effective at slowing its spread.

A new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that out of the 43 omicron cases identified in 22 states in early December, just ​​one person needed a brief hospital stay, and there were no reported deaths from the variant.

WATCH | Omicron spreading faster than delta but may be milder, early data suggests:

Omicron more transmissible but milder than delta variant, initial research suggests

4 days ago
Duration 1:59

Initial evidence about the omicron variant seems to suggest that the strain is more transmissible but less severe than the delta variant. But scientists studying omicron caution that understanding the full threat of omicron will take more time. 1:59

“We are seeing fewer symptoms so far with omicron, and it almost certainly has a lot to do with the fact that people have some degree of immunity,” said Deepta Bhattacharya, an immunologist at the University of Arizona.  

“But I don’t think there’s any doubt that omicron has more immune-evasive properties than delta … so you can imagine that omicron would have more of an advantage spreading in places where people already have some immunity than with delta.”

South Africa reported a near-record high in daily infections this week, but scientists have not yet seen evidence that omicron is causing more serious illness, which could either be a sign of things to come or a delay in the true impact it will have there. 

“The severity does not look very high, which is good, but the infected population is skewing young and so would be expected to have milder infections,” said Bill Hanage, an epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston.

“The real concern is unvaccinated populations.”

A new report from the U.K. confirmed widespread community transmission of omicron and a higher rate of re-infections and household outbreaks compared to delta — with more than one million omicron cases projected in the next month.

A shopper passes graffiti on a wall in London on Dec. 3. New measures to combat the new omicron COVID-19 variant came into force in the U.K. on Tuesday, with face coverings again mandatory in shops and on public transport. (Kirsty Wigglesworth/The Associated Press)

Yet the report also found booster shots provided an estimated 70 to 75 per cent protection against mild disease from omicron, giving the first real-world glimpse at the benefit offered by third doses in the face of the fast-spreading variant. 

“While the data isn’t perfect, and of course there’s still a lot of questions that remain, all the arrows are pointing in the direction that two doses of a vaccine will still be very helpful — but three doses of a vaccine will be better,” said Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious diseases physician and member of Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccine task force. 

“There should be a sense of urgency to roll out third doses, especially now as we have a holiday season upon us and we’re going to have a growing number of omicron cases in the country.” 

Omicron spreading rapidly in Canada

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) released new modelling data Friday showing COVID-19 levels could spike in the coming weeks amid an ongoing wave of delta infections and the growing threat of omicron as the holidays rapidly approach.

Health officials in Ontario confirmed omicron now makes up 10 per cent of all positive cases in the province and could soon become the dominant circulating strain. 

In Quebec, officials are investigating two potential omicron exposures at a gym and community centre in Montreal — with 14 cases of the variant detected in the city so far — but have said there is no evidence yet of wider community transmission. 

British Columbia announced plans to expand its booster-shot program this week as officials reported several new cases of omicron, while Saskatchewan recently expanded shots to those 50 and over, as four omicron cases emerged there. 

But as new data pours in from Canada and globally on omicron’s ability to rapidly transmit and partially evade immunity from vaccination and prior infections, early signals hint that vaccines will still provide significant protection from hospitalization and death.

Pfizer-BioNTech announced results from laboratory data this week that found three doses of its COVID-19 vaccine effectively neutralized omicron, adding fuel to the fire for the expansion of boosters to fight the new variant. 

WATCH | Pfizer says booster shots effective against omicron variant in early findings:

Pfizer says 3 shots neutralize omicron variant in early findings

3 days ago
Duration 2:30

Pfizer-BioNTech have reported early findings that show three doses of their COVID-19 vaccine are more effective than two when it comes to neutralizing the omicron variant in lab settings. The World Health Organization cautioned against jumping to conclusions, saying the unvaccinated should get their first doses before worrying about third shots. 2:30

But what gained far less attention was the fact that two doses of the vaccine still offered strong protection against severe COVID-19, meaning a surge in omicron cases in highly vaccinated countries, like Canada, may not lead to an overwhelmed health-care system. 

“The fact that the two-dose regimen of Pfizer holds up against what really counts — serious disease — that’s really good news,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease physician and a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in Baltimore.

“People have gotten very focused on cases and preventing all infections, but I think it’s really important to prevent severe infections.” 

Pfizer’s early data analyzed the blood of vaccinated individuals against omicron and found a 40-fold decrease in the level of neutralizing antibodies, which prevent the virus from entering cells. A third dose increased them by a factor of 25.

“When you hear about a 40-fold drop in neutralizing antibodies, that doesn’t mean a 40-fold drop in how well the vaccines are going to work — I would be shocked if that were the case,” said Bhattacharya. 

“So will two doses, in all likelihood, substantially reduce the likelihood you will get really sick? Yes. But is there room for improvement? Yes, definitely.” 

‘Rapid pivot’ to widespread boosters needed

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) strongly recommended earlier this month that all Canadians over 50 get a booster, while those aged 18 to 49 can be offered one six months out from their second shot. 

But while most provinces and territories have expanded the rollout of boosters to more age groups, only a handful have gone below the age of 50 — including Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, Yukon and soon, Ontario. 

“A rapid pivot is needed in the context of growing omicron cases in the country and what we’re seeing all the data point to from around the world,” said Bogoch. “We need to roll out third doses faster.” 

Canada has an opportunity to get “two steps ahead” of an omicron-driven surge by expanding boosters to all Canadians over 18 who are six months out from their second dose, Bogoch said, which would help “blunt the size of another wave.” 

“How bad is it going to be here? I think we should be prepared for another wave — an omicron-driven wave of infection,” said Anne-Claude Gingras, a professor of molecular genetics at the University of Toronto.

“I have no idea if that’s going to be a wave of hospitalization and an increase in the death rate as well — but at least in terms of spread, I think if we let it in, it will.” 

A patient receives a dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination centre in London on Dec. 4. The U.K. says it will offer all adults a booster dose of vaccine within two months, to bolster the nation’s immunity as omicron spreads. (Alberto Pezzali/The Associated Press)

Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and co-director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, says we’ll no doubt see a rise in omicron cases that could be made worse by delta. 

“I think, at least for a while, we will have sort of a twin epidemic of delta and omicron,” he said. “But whether you’re worried about delta or omicron — the approach you take is the same.” 

Getting a booster when it’s available to you, not relying on previous COVID-19 infection for protection and getting kids vaccinated will help protect people from the spread of omicron, he said, in addition to masking, increasing ventilation and limiting gatherings.

But experts agree boosters alone won’t spare Canada from the threat of omicron — even if they will likely have some added benefit to stopping spread.

“If you boosted everybody that needed to be boosted, it wouldn’t change the trajectory of the pandemic,” said Adalja. “It’s first and second doses that change the trajectory of the pandemic.” 

More than 20 per cent of eligible Canadians still aren’t doubly vaccinated — and that number sits at closer to 40 per cent in the U.S., meaning large swaths of the population remain unprotected if omicron does take off.

“We’re not going to boost our way out of the pandemic,” said Bogoch. “But if you can blunt transmission with a third dose, you’d be doing something very helpful.”

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In the news today: Canadians watch as Americans head to the polls

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November 5, 2024

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Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…

Canadians watch as Americans head to the polls

Millions of Americans are heading to the polls Tuesday as a chaotic presidential campaign reaches its peak in a deeply divided United States, where voters in only a handful of battleground states will choose the country’s path forward.

Vice-President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump have presented starkly different visions for America’s future, but polling shows the two remain in a dead heat.

Canada’s ambassador to the United States Kirsten Hillman has been travelling across America meeting with key members of the Republican and Democratic teams to prepare for any outcome. On election night, after her embassy duties are finished, she’ll be watching the results with her husband and friends,

A shared history and 8,891-kilometre border will not shield Canada from the election’s outcome. Both candidates have proposed protectionist policies, but experts warn if the Republican leader prevails the relationship between the neighbours could be much more difficult.

A cause for concern in Canada and around the world is Trump’s proposed 10 per cent across-the-board tariff. A Canadian Chamber of Commerce report suggests those tariffs would shrink the Canadian economy, resulting in around $30 billion per year in economic costs.

Here’s what else we’re watching…

5 things for Canadians to watch in U.S. election

Americans are facing a decision about the future of their country and no matter which president they choose, Canada cannot escape the pull of political polarization from its closest neighbour.

Vice-President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump present starkly different paths forward for the United States and the race for the White House appears to be extremely close.

The U.S. is Canada’s largest trading partner and its next president will be in charge during the review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico agreement in 2026.

Harris has campaigned on the fact that she voted against the trilateral agreement, saying it didn’t do enough to protect American workers or the environment. The vice-president is largely expected to maintain President Joe Biden’s Buy American procurement rules.

The centrepiece of Trump’s agenda is a proposed 10 per cent across-the-board tariff.

B.C. ports shuttered as lockout takes hold

One of Canada’s most vital trade arteries is cut off as employers at most of British Columbia’s ports lock out their workers in a dispute involving about 700 unionized foremen.

The BC Maritime Employers Association says it defensively locked out members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 after the union began strike activity yesterday.

However, union president Frank Morena says the employers grossly overreacted to the union’s original plan for an overtime ban, adding that its negotiators are ready to re-engage in talks at any time.

Canadian political and business leaders have expressed concern with another work stoppage at the ports, after job action from the big railways earlier this year and a 13-day strike in a separate labour dispute last year.

The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade says it is relaunching its Port Shutdown Calculator, a tool to illustrate the economic damage caused by the labour dispute and introduced during the job action last year.

UN refugee chief: cutback wise amid housing crisis

The head of the United Nations refugee agency says it is wise of Canada to scale back the number of new refugees it plans to resettle if that helps stabilize the housing market and prevents backlash against newcomers.

Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, met with the prime minister in Ottawa on Monday.

His visit comes a little more than a week after the federal government announced plans to cut overall immigration levels by 20 per cent for 2025 — a cut that includes refugees and protected persons.

The move has drawn condemnation from migrant groups, including the Canadian Council for Refugees, who called the new plan dangerous and a betrayal.

Grandi says Canada remains a global leader in resettlement, but says that pro-refugee sentiment is fragile in an economic or housing crisis and it would be “really negative” to see it destroyed.

N.S. memorial honours service of eight brothers

A new memorial recently dedicated in a small Nova Scotia community honours eight brothers whose story of service in the Second World War had been all but lost to local memory.

The Harvie brothers from Gormanville, N.S., all served in Europe — six returned home, while two died and are buried overseas.

A black granite monument is now inscribed with the names and photos of Avard, Burrell, Edmund, Ernest, Ervin, Garnet, Marven and Victor Harvie. It stands in a small memorial park just up the road from their hometown, beside the Royal Canadian Legion branch in Noel, N.S.

The number eight is inscribed prominently in the middle of the memorial.

The monument in the town about 70 kilometres north of Halifax is the brainchild of legion president Jeff Thurber, who only became aware of the Harvie brothers’ remarkable story around the time of his branch’s Remembrance Day service last year. That was when he happened to see them mentioned in a memorial book kept by the legion.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.



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Demonstration outside Brampton Hindu temple broken up after weapons spotted: police

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November 5, 2024

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A Hindu temple in Brampton, Ont., where violence erupted over the weekend was the site of another demonstration on Monday night that police broke up after they say weapons were spotted in the crowd.

Peel Regional Police said in social-media updates that the demonstration was declared an unlawful assembly shortly before 10 p.m., after officers saw weapons “within the demonstration.”

Police say the demonstration converged at an intersection outside the Hindu Sabha Mandir temple, shutting down traffic along Gore Road in both directions, before crowds dispersed by 1 a.m.

Pro-Hindu groups who shared details of Monday’s demonstration suggested it came in response to Sikh separatists who protested a visit by Indian consular officials to the temple on Sunday.

Three people were arrested and a Peel police officer was suspended after Sunday’s protest, with social-media videos seeming to show fist fights and people striking each other with poles on what appeared to be grounds of the temple.

In response to Monday’s demonstration, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown shared a video of a man he accused of trying to “direct violence against those of Sikh faith.”

“Agitators trying to incite violence need to be dealt with promptly and swiftly with the full extent of our hate laws,” Brown said in a Tuesday morning post on X.

The Canadian Press has not independently verified the contents of the video posts on social media.

Before Monday’s demonstration, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had condemned Sunday’s violence as a deliberate attack on a Hindu temple and an attempt to intimidate diplomats.

Canada expelled six Indian diplomats last month for allegations that they used their positions to collect information on Canadians in the Sikh separatist movement, and then passed the details on to criminal gangs who targeted the individuals directly.

India, which has rejected those allegations, has long accused Canada of harbouring terrorists involved in a Sikh separatist movement calling for an independent country called Khalistan. Canadian officials have said related extradition requests from India often lack adequate proof.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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B.C. ports shuttered as lockout takes hold in latest labour dispute

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November 5, 2024

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VANCOUVER – One of Canada’s most vital trade arteries is cut off as employers at most of British Columbia’s ports lock out their workers in a dispute involving about 700 unionized foremen.

The BC Maritime Employers Association says it defensively locked out members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 after the union began strike activity yesterday.

However, union president Frank Morena says the employers grossly overreacted to the union’s original plan for an overtime ban, adding that its negotiators are ready to re-engage in talks at any time.

Canadian political and business leaders have expressed concern with another work stoppage at the ports, after job action from the big railways earlier this year and a 13-day strike in a separate labour dispute last year.

The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade says it is relaunching its Port Shutdown Calculator, a tool to illustrate the economic damage caused by the labour dispute and introduced during the job action last year.

Board president Bridgitte Anderson says the latest port shutdown will disrupt $800 million worth of goods daily, with every hour of the closure fuelling inflation.

“This shutdown is the latest in a long line of highly damaging labour disputes that have hurt Canada’s economy and international reputation,” Anderson says.

“Through the Port Shutdown Calculator, we want to demonstrate the profound and escalating impact of this labour dispute.”

The employers and the workers represented by Local 514 have been without a contract since March 2023.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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