Tech
Quebec's decision to delay second Pfizer COVID-19 doses frustrating for some health-care professionals – CTV News Montreal
MONTREAL —
Quebec’s decision to delay the second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine this week to inoculate as many people as possible with a first dose is causing concern for some health-care professionals working on the front lines.
The Minsistry of Health said Dec. 31 that it would not hold back doses for the second “booster shot” for those who have already received a first shot.
“Note that the effectiveness of the first dose, 14 days after administration, is over 90 per cent for both vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna),” Quebec said. “The second remains important, mainly to ensure long-term protection. It should be administered within the time limits prescribed by public health in order to ensure maximum immunization coverage. The appointments of people already vaccinated to receive their 2nd dose will be adjusted accordingly.”
The news left one nurse at the Jewish General Hospital stressed and anxious.
“They now claim that we are 90 per cent immune with a first dose when they were telling us all along that it was 60 per cent covered,” said the nurse who wished to remain anonymous. “Where’s the proof of the 90 per cent coverage. We are exhausted and desperate for help.”
Another nurse wrote a response to the CIUSSS when she received the letter informing her that her second dose was cancelled.
“I did not consent to receive one dose of a very new vaccine without the booster 21 to 28 days afterwards as intended,” wrote Sarah, who wished to only use her first name. “This is not how the vaccine has been scientifically demonstrated to work. Despite the fear of taking a new vaccine, I did my research and laid my trust in Pfizer, the CIUSSS as well as the ministry of health. Now, the new recommendation shifts to a more haphazard approach of mass vaccination. I am extremely disappointed and think this strategy will breach the trust of many employees as well as the public, just as mine has been.”
Nathan Friedland is a nurse at Lakeshore General Hospital, which has suffered immensely from staff shortages, outbreaks and other logistical issues. He has not been vaccinated and welcomes Quebec’s decision.
“I happen to think Quebec is making the right decision here: vaccinate as many as possible right away especially with the latest projections from INESSS,” he said. “What should now happen is that they take those 27,000 vaccines they were going to hold and give them to the staff in the ICUs and ERs because we are about to get overrun with COVID!”
The decision is in line with other health authorities such as Ontario and the UK, which decided not to hold back half of its vaccines for second vaccinations.
Health Canada says that for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 mRNA vaccine to work best you need two doses 21 days apart. Based on studies of around 44,000 participants, Health Canada says, the vaccine “was 95 per cent effective in preventing COVID-19 beginning 1 week after the second dose.”
Pfizer director of corporate affairs Christina Antoniou repeated this saying the vaccine is to be administered 21 days apart, and that individuals may not be optimally protected until at least seven days after their second dose of the vaccine.
“We consider it to be a safe approach for the vaccination points of use to continue storing a portion of the doses received, to ensure no delay in the second dose deployment,” said Antoniou. “It’s a conservative approach that we have recommended to ensure that both doses of the vaccine are delivered according to the schedule in the product label (i.e. 21 days apart).”
She added that it is the responsibility of the provincial health authorities to determine their immunization program, however.
When asked how long before the first dose becomes ineffective without the second, Antoniou said Pfizer does not have that data.
“We do know that it takes about two weeks after the initial dose to develop an immune response, but that two doses are necessary,” she said. “In our clinical trial, the two-dose regimen of the vaccine, which was given 21 days apart, was well-tolerated and demonstrated vaccine efficacy of 95 per cent against COVID-19. There is still much to learn about the disease, and the protective nature of the vaccine will continue to be studied.”
Sarah wished the CIUSSS would have protested the government’s decision and refused the new approach.
“Let people who received the first dose already get their second. My second dose is in just a few days,” she said. “Switch the strategy after letting people receive their booster if they already received a first dose. If people still choose this way of vaccination, great! Give people the choice to do it this way… My choice has been stripped by the government. My bodily autonomy has been taken away.”
Quebec has received 55,000 Pfizer and 32,500 Moderna vaccines.
As of the last COVID-19 update on Dec. 31, the government of Quebec reported that 29,250 vaccines had been administered in the province.
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Videos
With roots dating back to 1991, the Sea Otter Classic is one of the biggest biking events and tradeshows each year and brings together all sides of the biking industry from athletes to brands, spectators and consumers. Taking place in April in the sunny hills of Monterey, California, that means this event really feels like the official start to the biking season in North America. Christina Chappetta covers why it’s much different to an indoor European biking tradeshow, a World Cup racing weekend or even Crankworx mountain bike festival, in that it encompasses nearly ALL of the biking disciplines, including road cycling, enduro, downhill, dual slalom, XC, trials riding and more.
In the past fortnight, we have seen large amount of new tech releases. However, Sea Otter 2024 represents some of the first opportunities for many riders to see these things in the flesh, as well as take a deeper dive into what the product aims to do.
Welcome to a video summary from Day 2 of the Sea Otter Classic.
There are so many giveaways, interesting new products and colourful characters at Sea Otter Classic that it’s hard to stand out from the crowd. Ben Cathro takes a lap of the venue to find his favourites.
Well, that was quick. On May 18, a respected industry insider predicted a new display technology for the iPad Air that’s expected in the coming days—Apple just announced its latest special event.
The new 12.9-inch iPad Air, the report claimed, would have the same miniLED backlighting currently found on the larger iPad Pro, using the leftover inventory from the current Pro as that model switches to OLED. That was exciting news.
But now, Ross Young, the analyst who made the claim, has changed his mind. The new prediction, shared with paid subscribers only, is that the miniLED technology won’t be coming to the iPad Air, in either size.
While it made sense that the inventory could be maximized in this way, it now “makes sense” that it won’t.
Young says that while he’d heard from supply chain sources that it would, he’d now had contact from “even more supply chain sources” that it won’t.
And the reason this change of heart now makes sense is that this miniLED technology is expensive, so it would be surprising if it made it to the iPad Air, which is more affordable than the Pro.
That’s not quite all the analyst shared. He also said that there are now reports of a new iPad coming later in the year. This is a 12.9-inch iPad, with miniLED backlighting and it could arrive between October and December this year.
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This is intriguing. What could it be? Assuming that the iPad Pro and iPad Air are released in May, it’s extremely unlikely either will be updated later in the year. And if the iPad Air isn’t pricey enough for miniLED to be included, what tablet could Apple be introducing that is the same size as the bigger Pro, with a pricey screen tech, which would sit between the Air and the Pro, it seems?
Young is highly reliable, but this seems slightly preposterous to me. The only other iPad in the range due a refresh is the regular iPad (at 12.9-inches, the iPad mini is clearly out of the picture) and that doesn’t seem likely either.
It seems to me that any regular iPad will almost certainly have the same screen size as now, 10.9 inches. The regular iPad only grew to this size screen in the current generation, and Apple almost never changes designs after one iteration.
Perhaps things will become clearer as the year goes on.
Tech
Woman who left beaten dad on floor for 2 days was 'overwhelmed' with his care, judge told – CBC.ca
A Calgary woman who abused her sick, 77-year-old father was “overwhelmed” at the task of caring for him, a judge heard Wednesday at a sentencing hearing.
In January, Tara Picard, 52, pleaded guilty to charges of assault and failing to provide the necessaries of life after her father (whom CBC News is not naming) was found injured on a basement floor, where he’d been lying for two days.
On Wednesday, prosecutor Donna Spaner and defence lawyer Shaun Leochko asked the judge to allow Picard to serve her sentence in the community under conditions as part of a conditional sentence order.
Justice Indra Maharaj agreed to a two-year conditional sentence for Picard followed by a year of probation.
“There is no doubt she became overwhelmed,” said Spaner in her submissions. “There is no question Ms. Picard has remorse.”
Leochko told the judge that caring for her father “was really more than [Picard] could handle.”
Maharaj heard that Picard is Indigenous and was the victim of abuse growing up. She lives in a sober dorm-style facility and is working with a mental health and addictions navigator, according to Leochko.
A ‘willingness to give back’
As part of the sentence, Picard must complete 300 hours of community service.
Justice Maharaj commended Picard for “taking that on.”
“That shows me Ms. Picard sincerely does recognize what has happened here,” said the judge.
“What I interpret from that is Ms. Picard’s willingness to give back to her community.”
During Picard’s plea, court heard that in November 2021, Picard and her father fought over his drinking.
Nurses discover victim
The victim suffers from a number of medical issues, including diabetes, heart disease, dementia and alcoholism.
At the time, home-care registered nurses were assigned to help provide supplementary care.
Nurses found the victim wearing a soiled adult diaper and suffering from two black eyes with blood on his head.
He told the nurses who discovered him that he’d been there for two days.
Picard admitted she knew her father had fallen and she had “administered a number of physical blows.”
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