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Public health agency plans to convince Canadians to get COVID-19 vaccine – iPolitics.ca

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The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has begun planning how it will convince people to get immunized against COVID-19 once a vaccine becomes available.

An agency spokesperson confirmed to iPolitics last week that PHAC has just started “planning for future publication efforts” in anticipation of a successful vaccine.

“This work is in the preliminary research stage,” Geoffroy Legault-Thivierge said in an emailed statement.

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Vaccines usually take from five to 15 years to develop, but the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented focus by the global research community pivot on finding a vaccine that prevents infection from the new coronavirus.

The World Health Organization is keeping tabs on 26 vaccine candidates currently undergoing clinical trials in the world. Recruitment is underway for Stage 3 studies for four candidates. Stage 3 is the final stage of scientific testing, during which thousands of people are given a vaccine candidate to test whether it is effective as well as safe.

China has already approved a COVID-19 vaccine for use by its soldiers, and Russian state media have reported that their government plans to begin vaccinating health care workers and teachers in the fall.

Of the four vaccines approved for trials in Canada, none has reached Phase 3, with the one closest to approval being prevented from leaving China by that country’s customs agency. The vaccine has already been approved for use by members of the Chinese military.

READ MORE: Vaccine promised for human trials in Canada held up by Chinese customs

The same vaccine, which is produced by Chinese company CanSino, and at least one other made by U.S.-based Moderna, have had to stop testing the highest doses of their vaccines because of serious side effects experienced by some trial participants.

While estimates range, a common approximation by health experts is that around 70 per cent of a contained population needs to be immune to COVID-19 to cause the virus to fizzle out.

Canadians generally believe health professionals when it comes to childhood vaccinations. The most recently released data from the Childhood National Immunization Coverage Survey shows that around 95 per cent of parents believe childhood vaccines are safe, effective, and help protect their children’s health and that of others. A similar percentage get their children vaccinated.

When it comes to themselves and not their kids, Canadians aren’t as eager to get their shots. From the mid-2000s to the mid-2010s, about 35 per cent of Canadians received the annual flu vaccine. There was an uptick during the H1N1 pandemic of the 2009-10 flu season, when just over 40 per cent of Canadians were immunized against it.

READ MORE: Anti-vaxxers likely won’t undermine Canada’s COVID-19 herd immunity

Compared to the H1N1 pandemic, the economic, social and health stakes of COVID-19 are heightened. Yet, freshly reported findings by the Angus Reid Institute show a significant percentage of Canadians are still hesitant to get vaccinated.

Eight per cent say they’re unsure they’ll get vaccinated, 14 per cent say they won’t, and 32 per cent say they would opt for the “you first” approach, choosing to wait before opting for a shot. Just 46 per cent — well below the herd immunity threshold — say they would get vaccinated right away.

Governments in Canada don’t have the legal authority to force vaccination in Canada — at least in a way that experts say wouldn’t be subject to a court challenge — meaning that messaging and public education are bound to be relied upon in a mass vaccination effort.

The government’s education plan thus far has included a $30-million ad campaign first announced in March. As of about a week ago, about $20 million of that fund had been spent on advertisements. Early ads in the campaign featured Canada’s chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, urging people to follow now-familiar virus-prevention measures, such as avoiding crowded places and non-essential travel and practising good hygiene.

Legault-Thivierge told iPolitics that PHAC hasn’t yet allocated a specific amount of its funding for advertising, or other public education about a prospective COVID-19 vaccine.

Because of how early PHAC is in developing an eventual ad campaign, Legault-Thivierge said he couldn’t share specific details about the agency’s plans.

iPolitics spoke to several experts, each of whom had suggestions for what would make compelling advertising for a COVID-19 vaccine.

Deb Matthews, who was Ontario’s health minister during the H1N1 pandemic, said she thinks it’s important for the government’s messaging to target specific groups who are more skeptical about vaccines, rather than the population at large. According to the Angus Reid’s poll, attitudes toward vaccines varied by region and political leaning. People in the Prairies and those who vote for Conservative Party were least likely to be willing to get vaccinated.

“I don’t think it needs to be a message that will appeal to the whole population, because most people are going to want to get it as fast as they can,” Matthews told iPolitics.

“But really, (the government should) come from a place of understanding of what is preventing people.”

Matthews also stressed that people are hesitant for psychological and behavioural reasons.

Dr. Olivier Drouin, a pediatrician who also conducts behavioural science research, has written about that idea.

Typically, Drouin says, public health specialists focus education efforts, such as the one PHAC is planning, on providing accurate scientific information, which he called “necessary, but not sufficient.”

In an interview with iPolitics, Drouin said a better approach is reinforcing vaccination as a social norm.

“When a large number of people engage in a given behaviour — if you convey that message — more people will follow,” Drouin said. “So, in that sense, saying something like, ‘You know, 90 per cent of people are getting vaccinated,’ is a much more likely way to get people to get vaccinated.”

Another approach is playing on people’s inclination to be socially responsible.

“The idea that you’re helping the more vulnerable in the population, I think, is very important,” Drouin said.

Another similar approach is to produce advertisements that are personally relevant “to prompt people to think about people in their environments (who) are in this previous category of ‘vulnerable.’ ”

“Like talking about aging parents or grandparents,” Drouin said.

Finally, Drouin suggested creating a “what if” scenario for ad viewers. This, he said, is called “anticipated regret.”

“So make people think about the ‘what if’ ,” he said. “So, what if you don’t get vaccinated? Then your father-in-law gets sick. Wouldn’t you feel bad about it?”

Dr. Joan Robinson, a professor and divisional director in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta, said she also thinks the timing of the ads’ release will also be important in assuring people the vaccine is safe.

“I’m not sure that we can, ahead of time, get people all geared up to get this COVID vaccine,” she said. “I think we need to actually have a vaccine and way more information about the side effects of that vaccine, so that we make sure we’re providing people with real information and not theoretical information.”

Canada’s deputy chief public health officer, Dr. Howard Njoo, tempered expectations on Tuesday of what a successful vaccine against COVID-19 would mean for Canadians, warning it won’t be a “silver bullet that will take care of everything.”

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Kevin Neil Friesen Obituary 2024 – Crossings Funeral Care

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It is with heavy hearts that we announce the peaceful passing of Kevin Neil Friesen age 53 on Thursday, March 28, 2024 at the Bethesda Regional Health Centre.

A funeral service will be held at 2:00 pm on Thursday, April 4, 2024 at the Bothwell Christian Fellowship Church, with viewing one hour prior to the service.

A longer notice to follow.  

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Spring allergies: Where is it worse in Canada? – CTV News

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The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities such as Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.

Daniel Coates, director of Aerobiology Research Laboratories in Ottawa, expects the elevated amounts to continue next week for places, such as most of Ontario, if the temperature continues to rise. Aerobiology creates allergen forecasts based on data it collects from the air on various pollens and mould spores.

Pollens are fertilizing fine powder from certain plants such as trees, grass and weeds. They contain a protein that irritates allergy sufferers.

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Although pollen levels declined after a cold spell in some places, he said they are soaring again across parts of Canada.

“So the worst is definitely British Columbia right now, followed by Ontario and Quebec and then the Prairies and Atlantic Canada for the upcoming weeks,” said Coates in a video interview with CTVNews.ca. “We are seeing pollen pretty much everywhere, including the Maritimes.”

He said pollen has increased over the past 20 years largely due to longer periods of warm weather in Canada.

Meanwhile, the Maritimes is one of the best places to live in Canada if you have seasonal allergies, in part because of its rocky territory, Coates said.

With high levels of cedar and birch pollen, British Columbia is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada, he added.

“British Columbia is going strong,” Coates explained, noting the allergy season started “very early” in the province in late January. “It has been going strong since late January, early February and it’s progressing with high levels of pollen, mostly cedar, but birch as well, and birch is highly allergenic.”

Causes of high pollen levels

Coates expects a longer allergy season if the warm weather persists. He notes pollen is increasing in Canada and worldwide, adding that in some cases the allergy season is starting earlier and lasting longer than 15 years ago.

He says tree pollen produced last year is now being released into the air because of warmer weather.

“Mother nature acts like a business,” he said. “So you have cyclical periods where things go up and down. … So when it cooled down a little bit, we saw (pollen) reduce in its levels, but now it’s going to start spiking.”

Along with warmer weather, another factor in higher pollen levels is people planting more male trees in urban areas because they don’t produce flowers and fruits and are less messy as a result, he said. But male trees produce pollen while female ones mostly do not.

Moulds

Coates said moulds aren’t as much of a problem.

“They’ve been mainly at lower levels so far this season,” he explained. “Moulds aren’t as bad in many areas of Canada, but they’re really, really bad in British Columbia.”

In B.C., moulds are worse because of its wet climate and many forested areas, he said.

Coping with allergies

Dr. Blossom Bitting, a naturopathic doctor and herbal medicine expert who works for St. Francis Herb Farm, says a healthy immune system is important to deal with seasonal allergies.

“More from a holistic point of view, we want to keep our immune system strong,” she said in a video interview with CTVNews.ca from Shediac, N.B. “Some would argue allergies are an overactive immune system.”

Bitting said ways to balance and strengthen the immune system include managing stress levels and getting seven to nine hours of restful sleep. “There is some research that shows that higher amounts of emotional stress can also contribute to how much your allergies react to the pollen triggers,” Bitting said.

Eating well by eating more whole foods and less processed foods along with exercising are also important, she added. She recommends foods high in Omega-3 Fatty Acids such as flaxseeds, flaxseed oil, walnuts and fish. Fermented foods with probiotics such as yogurt, kimchi and miso, rather than pasteurized ones, can keep the gut healthy, she added. Plant medicines or herbs such as astragalus, reishi mushrooms, stinging nettle and schisandra can help bodies adapt to stressors, help balance immune systems or stabilize allergic reactions, she said.

To cope with allergies, she recommends doing the following to reduce exposure to pollen:

  • Wear sunglasses to get less pollen into the eyes;
  • Wash outdoor clothes frequently, use outer layers for outside and remove them when you go inside the house;
  • Use air purifiers such as with HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filters;
  • Wash pets and children after they go outside;
  • Keep the window closed on days with high pollen counts.

Mariam Hanna, a pediatric allergist, clinical immunologist and associate professor with McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., says immunotherapy can help patients retrain their bodies by working with an allergist so they become more tolerant to pollens and have fewer symptoms.

“Some patients will need medications like over-the-counter antihistamines or speaking with their doctor about the right types of medications to help with symptom control,” she said in a video interview with CTVNews.ca.

Coates recommends people check pollen forecasts and decrease their exposure to pollen since no cure exists for allergies. “The best is knowing what’s in the air so that you can adjust your schedules, or whatever you’re doing, around the pollen levels.”

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Do you need a spring COVID-19 vaccine? Research backs extra round for high-risk groups

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Recent studies suggest staying up-to-date on COVID shots helps protect high-risk groups from severe illness

New guidelines suggest certain high-risk groups could benefit from having another dose of a COVID-19 vaccine this spring — and more frequent shots in general — while the broader population could be entering once-a-year territory, much like an annual flu shot.

Medical experts told CBC News that falling behind on the latest shots can come with health risks, particularly for individuals who are older or immunocompromised.

Even when the risk of infection starts to increase, the vaccines still do a really good job at decreasing risk of severe disease, said McMaster University researcher and immunologist Matthew Miller.

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Who needs another COVID shot?

Back in January, Canada’s national vaccine advisory body set the stage for another round of spring vaccinations. In a statement (new window), the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) stated that starting in spring 2024, individuals at an increased risk of severe COVID may get an extra dose of the latest XBB.1.5-based vaccines, which better protect against circulating virus variants.

That means:

  • Adults aged 65 and up.
  • Adult residents of long-term care homes and other congregate living settings for seniors.
  • Anyone six months of age or older who is moderately to severely immunocompromised.

The various spring recommendations don’t focus on pregnancy, despite research (new window) showing clear links between a COVID infection while pregnant, and increased health risks. However, federal guidance does note that getting vaccinated during pregnancy can protect against serious outcomes.

Vaccinated people can also pass antibodies to their baby through the placenta and through breastmilk, that guidance states (new window).

What do the provinces now recommend?

Multiple provinces have started rolling out their own regional guidance based on those early recommendations — with a focus on allowing similar high-risk groups to get another round of vaccinations.

B.C. is set to announce guidance on spring COVID vaccines in early April, officials told CBC News, and those recommendations are expected to align with NACI’s guidance.

In Manitoba (new window), high-risk individuals are already eligible for another dose, provided it’s been at least three months since their latest COVID vaccine.

Meanwhile Ontario’s latest guidance (new window), released on March 21, stresses that high-risk individuals may get an extra dose during a vaccine campaign set to run between April and June. Eligibility will involve waiting six months after someone’s last dose or COVID infection.

Having a spring dose is particularly important for individuals at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19 who did not receive a dose during the Fall 2023 program, the guidance notes.

And in Nova Scotia (new window), the spring campaign will run from March 25 to May 31, also allowing high-risk individuals to get another dose.

Specific eligibility criteria vary slightly from province-to-province, so Canadians should check with their primary care provider, pharmacist or local public health team for exact guidelines in each area.

WATCH: Age still best determines when to get next COVID vaccine dose, research suggests:

 

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Age still best determines when to get COVID vaccines, new research suggests

It’s been four years since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, and new research suggests your age may determine how often you should get a booster shot.

Why do the guidelines focus so much on age?

The rationale behind the latest spring guidelines, Miller said, is that someone’s age remains one of the greatest risk factors associated with severe COVID outcomes, including hospitalization, intensive care admission and death.

So that risk starts to shoot up at about 50, but really takes off in individuals over the age of 75, he noted.

Canadian data (new window) suggests the overwhelming majority of COVID deaths have been among older adults, with nearly 60 per cent of deaths among those aged 80 or older, and roughly 20 per cent among those aged 70 to 79.

People with compromised immune systems or serious medical conditions are also more vulnerable, Miller added.

Will people always need regular COVID shots?

While the general population may not require shots as frequently as higher-risk groups, Miller said it’s unlikely there will be recommendations any time soon to have a COVID shot less than once a year, given ongoing uncertainty about COVID’s trajectory.

Going forward, I suspect for pragmatic reasons, [COVID vaccinations] will dovetail with seasonal flu vaccine campaigns, just because it makes the implementation much more straightforward, Miller said.

And although we haven’t seen really strong seasonal trends with SARS-CoV-2 now, I suspect we’ll get to a place where it’s more seasonal than it has been.

In the meantime, the guidance around COVID shots remains simple at its core: Whenever you’re eligible to get another dose — whether that’s once or twice a year — you might as well do it.

What does research say?

One analysis, published in early March in the medical journal Lancet Infectious Diseases (new window), studied more than 27,000 U.S. patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind COVID, between September and December 2023.

The team found individuals who had an updated vaccine reduced their risk of severe illness by close to a third — and the difference was more noticeable in older and immunocompromised individuals.

Another American research team from Stanford University recently shared the results from a modelling simulation looking at the ideal frequency for COVID vaccines.

The study in Nature Communications (new window) suggests that for individuals aged 75 and up, having an annual COVID shot could reduce severe infections from an estimated 1,400 cases per 100,000 people to around 1,200 cases — while bumping to twice a year could cut those cases even further, down to 1,000.

For younger, healthier populations, however, the benefit of regular shots against severe illness was more modest.

The outcome wasn’t a surprise to Stanford researcher Dr. Nathan Lo, an infectious diseases specialist, since old age has consistently been a risk factor for severe COVID.

It’s almost the same pattern that’s been present the entire pandemic, he said. And I think that’s quite striking.

More frequent vaccination won’t prevent all serious infections, he added, or perhaps even a majority of those infections, which highlights the need for ongoing mitigation efforts.

Lauren Pelley (new window) · CBC News

 

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