Both the number of organ donations and transplants in Canada rebounded in 2021 after the number in plunged in 2020 in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information.
The report, published Thursday, looked at the latest statistics from the Canadian Organ Replacement Register to provide a snapshot of the statistics in organ donation, transplantations and end-stage kidney disease since the first year of the pandemic.
In 2021, there were a total of 1,328 organ donors across Canada, a nine per cent increase compared to 2020.
“Canada’s organ donation and transplantation programs have been additionally challenged during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has placed an unprecedented burden on health care systems in Canada and around the world,” the CIHI report stated. “While the first year of the pandemic saw a shifting of priorities and resources to address the surge of critically ill COVID-19 patients, Canada is beginning to show signs of recovery.”
The 2021 data also reveals that over the past decade there has been a 23 per cent increase in both organ donations and transplants performed. There were 2,235 solid organ transplants performed across Canada in 2012, compared to 2,750 in 2021.
This number also represents a six per cent increase in transplants in 2021 compared to 2020. The number of transplants performed in 2020—2,594—was the lowest number of yearly transplants since 2015.
It’s a good sign that we’re approaching pre-pandemic rates again, experts say.
“We’ve learned a lot over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic: how we can safely transplant patients despite the threat of a potentially deadly respiratory virus, how to use organs effectively under these circumstances (including from donors who may be infected) and how the system must be adapted to address the challenges created by a global public health crisis,” Dr. Joseph Kim, Director, Kidney Transplant Program, University Health Network, said in the report. “More recently, we’ve seen signs of recovery in organ donation and transplantation activity almost comparable to pre-pandemic levels.”
We still haven’t rebounded completely, according to the data—there were 3,016 transplants performed in 2019, nine per cent more than in 2021.
And long-term gaps in the system that predate the pandemic are still affecting patients.
“While Canada has made improvements in the donation and transplantation of life-saving organs over the past decade, there remains a large gap between the need for organs and the number of donors and transplants,” the report stated. “As a result, organ failure patients often experience lengthy wait times, with some patients dying before a suitable organ becomes available.”
In 2021, a total of 105 people died while waiting for a kidney transplant. The second most deadly wait time was in liver transplants, where 95 patients died while waiting for a liver.
As of December 31, 2021, there were 4,043 Canadians on wait lists to receive an organ transplant, according to an earlier report from CIHI in June.
Wait times for those with end-stage kidney disease to receive a kidney transplant have gotten both better and worse. Over the last decade, the wait time for a kidney from a deceased donor has improved by 10 per cent, but the wait time for a kidney from a living donor increased by 30 per cent. However, it’s still much faster to receive a kidney from a living donor, with patients waiting around 1.1 years as of 2021 compared to 3.3 years from a deceased donor.
MORE LIVING DONORS PROVIDED ORGANS IN 2021
Organ donation statistics are split into donors who are deceased, meaning those who agreed ahead of time to donate viable organs after they died, and donors who are living, such as those who donate one of their kidneys to a loved one.
The number of deceased donors dropped in 2020 and didn’t budge in 2021, with the rate in both years remaining around 12 per cent below pre-pandemic donation rates.
But while the deceased donor rate stayed down, more living donors chose to donate an organ in 2021 compared to 2020, according to the data.
The living donor rate in 2021 was around 15.5 donors per million people, which is similar to the pre-pandemic rate and also a 20 per cent increase on the 2020 rate.
There were more than 100 extra transplants from living donors in 2021 compared to 2020.
MORE CANADIANS BEING TREATED FOR END-STAGE KIDNEY DISEASE
The number of Canadians dealing with end-stage kidney disease has been steadily rising over the past decade, according to the CIHI report.
Since 2012, there was a 24 per cent increase in patients receiving either kidney dialysis or pre-emptive kidney transplants. The data spans all of Canada except for Quebec, for which long-term data wasn’t available.
The steady growth of Canadians receiving these treatments plateaued in 2020 and 2021, likely due to a combination of patients being wary of going to the doctor during the pandemic and the pandemic halting or delaying numerous medical procedures and treatments.
More and more patients are opting for at-home dialysis, with this treatment increasing as a first choice by 22 per cent over the last decade. A patient with end-stage kidney disease who hasn’t had a transplant has to receive dialysis around three times a week in sessions that last four hours, making an at-home option more accessible for many patients.
Kidney transplants in adults are associated with some of the highest survival rates for solid organ transplants, but those survival rates have not improved over the last 10 years. Survival rates are higher among those who receive a kidney from a living donor, with an 88 per cent survival rate at five years post-transplant, compared to those who receive a kidney from a deceased donor for a 77 per cent survival rate after five years.
PARIS (AP) — The French transport minister is expected to meet with cycling associations on Monday following the death of a cyclist in Paris after a dispute with a driver.
The 27-year-old cyclist, Paul Varry, was allegedly deliberately run over last Tuesday by an SUV driver, who now faces preliminary charges of murder. The incident has sparked protests across France, with demonstrators calling for safer roads for cyclists and an end to “motorized violence.”
Varry, a dedicated advocate for urban cycling, was known for his work improving cycling infrastructure in Saint-Ouen, a northern suburb of Paris. Hundreds gathered on Saturday to honor him, including cycling groups like Paris en Selle, which vowed to continue his fight for safer roads.
Transport Minister François Durovray, in a post on X, expressed his deep sympathy for Varry’s family and said that cyclists “have a place on the road,” vowing to address safety concerns. He called Monday’s meeting an opportunity to listen and act on behalf of France’s cycling community, which has been shaken by Varry’s death. The tragedy has reignited national debates on road safety and cyclist protection as France sees an increasing number of cyclists in its urban centers.
Alexis Fremeaux, co-president of the French Federation of Bicycle Users, said that “Paul’s death, killed by a motorist in Paris, has resonated deeply.
“It stirred such emotion because this kind of murder is exceptional. But the violence that cyclists face on the roads today — every cyclist has experienced it. Whether it’s threats, being put under pressure, being endangered, or even deliberate collisions — every cyclist has a story to tell.”
Cycling advocates hope that Varry’s death will spark action and lead to What they say are long-overdue reforms to improve road safety.
ZURICH (AP) — Canadian national team captain Jessie Fleming, former U.S. national team captain Becky Sauerbrunn and Netherlands forward Vivianne Miedema are among more than 100 women’s soccer players who have signed an open letter protesting FIFA’s sponsorship deal with Saudi Arabian state oil giant Aramco.
The letter calls the deal, which includes sponsorship at the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil, “much worse than an own goal,” citing Saudi Arabia’s record on the rights of women and LGBTQ+ people and the impact of Aramco’s oil and gas production on climate change.
“As well as funding the Saudi regime, Aramco is one of the biggest polluters of the planet we all call home. In taking Aramco’s sponsorship, FIFA is choosing money over women’s safety and the safety of the planet — and that’s something we as players are standing against, together,” Fleming said in comments via campaign group Athletes Of The World.
Fellow Canadians Erin McLeod, Emma Regan, Samantha Chang and Nyla Peterkin also signed their names to the letter.
Sauerbrunn voiced concern for women who are imprisoned in Saudi Arabia.
“The safety of those women, the rights of women, LGBTQ+ rights and the health of the planet need to take a much bigger priority over FIFA making more money,” said Sauerbrunn.
The letter calls on FIFA to replace Aramco “with alternative sponsors whose values align with gender equality, human rights and the safe future of our planet,” and to give players a voice on the ethical implications of future sponsorship deals.
“This letter shows that as players this is what we don’t want to stand for and accept within women’s football. It’s simple: this sponsorship is contradicting FIFA’s own commitments to human rights and the planet,” Miedema said.
FIFA’s deal with Aramco was announced in April as part of ever-closer ties between Saudi Arabia and world soccer’s governing body. FIFA is expected to confirm Saudi Arabia as host of the 2034 men’s World Cup in December. It is the only candidate for the tournament.
“FIFA values its partnership with Aramco and its many others commercial and rights partners. FIFA is an inclusive organisation with many commercial partners also supporting other organizations in football and other sports,” world soccer’s governing body said in an emailed statement Monday, adding that commercial revenue is reinvested into developing women’s soccer.
Metro is expanding its Moi Rewards program into Ontario later this week after rolling it out in Quebec and New Brunswick last year.
It’s the latest loyalty program launch as they become an increasingly important strategy for retailers to attract and keep customers.
“Now we’re bringing our own program that’s had a success in the Quebec market, and we think that’s going to bring more value to our customers,” said Alain Tadros, Metro’s vice-president and chief marketing officer and head of digital strategy.
Like many loyalty programs, Moi Rewards users will get personalized promotions and be able to redeem points to pay for purchases. The program officially rolls out on Oct. 24.
It’s also the first time that Metro’s discount banner Food Basics will have a loyalty program, the company said.
Customers will earn points just by shopping at Metro and Jean Coutu stores, but can earn additional promotional points through offers at Metro, Food Basics and Jean Coutu, said Tadros. He said there are a total of 277 Metro-owned grocery stores in Ontario and nine Jean Coutu pharmacies.
He said Metro’s app offers the lowest threshold for redeeming points at $4.
“It’s been a key to our success in Quebec, in getting our customers engaged in the program,” said Tadros.
Metro first introduced Moi Rewards in Quebec and New Brunswick in May 2023.
As part of the Ontario rollout, Metro is also partnering with RBC’s Avion Rewards. While in Quebec the company offered a Moi RBC Visa credit card, in Ontario they are offering card linking, meaning shoppers can earn additional Moi Rewards points by using an RBC card, including on purchases not made at Metro-owned stores, said Tadros.
“The RBC partnership allows customers to actually double dip,” he said, adding that the company plans to bring the card-linking option to Quebec as well.
The loyalty program marketplace is a competitive one, with all the major Canadian grocers offering some kind of program — not to mention offers from non-grocery retailers, as well as food and beverage chains.
A survey last year by Givex found that 57 per cent of Canadians belong to between two and four loyalty programs, and one in five respondents said they belong to at least five.
The Givex survey found that more than half of Canadians see grocery programs as the most valuable kind among them, and are particularly valued by lower-income households. A fifth of the respondents said they use rewards or points from a loyalty program when making a purchase about once a month.
Tadros said he hopes Moi Rewards’ lower redemption threshold and RBC partnership, among other attributes, will help it stand out among the competition.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
