Health workers in personal protective equipment record COVID-19 nasal swab antigen test results in Bangkok on Thursday, a day in which Thailand reported its largest number of new daily coronavirus infections — more than 23,500 in total — since the start of the pandemic. (Jack Taylor/AFP/Getty Images)
Medicago’s homegrown, plant-based COVID-19 vaccine approved by Health Canada
Medicago’s plant-based COVID-19 vaccine is now approved by Health Canada, which will soon give Canadians the option of getting a homegrown shot against SARS-CoV-2.
In what the biopharmaceutical company calls a world first, the vaccine from Quebec City-based Medicago uses plant-derived, virus-like particles that resemble the coronavirus behind COVID-19 but don’t contain its genetic material. The shots also contain an adjuvant from British-American vaccine giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to help boost the immune response.
Dubbed “Covifenz,” the two-dose shot’s overall efficacy rate against all virus variants studied was 71 per cent, with a higher efficacy rate of 75 per cent against COVID-19 infections of any severity from the Delta variant, then dominant, according to data shared at the time in a news release. The results followed a global, Phase 3, placebo-controlled study of the two-dose vaccine that was launched last March and continued into a time period when the Delta variant was circulating.
The trial preceded the arrival of the highly contagious Omicron family of subvariants, including BA.1 and BA.2, although the company has said the vaccine can be adapted as needed.
“We will, in the next several months, know how well our vaccine did against Omicron,” the company’s medical officer, Dr. Brian Ward, told CBC News, citing ongoing company trials, which also include a study on a booster dose that’s slated to start within weeks.
Health Canada has recommended a three-week interval at minimum for the two-dose regimen, with typical, temporary potential side-effects seen with most other COVID-19 vaccines: a sore arm, headaches, joint and muscle pain and fever-like symptoms.
It’s not clear when production will be ramped up, but given Canada’s vaccination rates for adults — 84.5 per cent of the eligible population is considered fully vaccinated — it could eventually be employed more in the campaign to vaccinate underserved populations around the globe.
Without offering specifics, Canada’s deputy chief public health officer Dr. Howard Njoo said during a news conference that the federal government is “committed to the global effort to supply vaccines across the world.”
In the past, Medicago’s Ward has touted the benefits of transporting its vaccine around the world in comparison to some other products, which use yeast, insect or mammalian cells that need to be stored in glass containers called bioreactors. It also needs to be stored at manageable temperatures of 2 to 8 C.
What’s most hopeful, said Toronto-based infectious diseases expert Dr. Isaac Bogoch, is how plant-based technology could help future vaccine development.
“Is this going to have a major impact on us here in Canada? Probably not. But there might be some individuals who choose to get vaccinated with a non-mRNA product,” said Bogoch, referring to the shots offered by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.
In a GSK news release in December, it was stated that there are plans to seek approval for the Medicago shots with the World Health Organization, as well as in the United States, United Kingdom and Japan. It’s not clear if decisions in any of those cases are near.
From CBC News
Alberta wants to use private clinics to address surgery backlog
1 day ago
Duration 1:59
The Alberta government has proposed using private clinics to relieve pressure on the health-care system and clear surgical backlogs worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan would see up to 90,000 surgeries done at the private clinics but paid for by the province. 1:59
Reinfections from Omicron subvariant BA.2 seem rare, study finds, making ‘new wave’ unlikely
Out of nearly two million coronavirus infections logged in Denmark between mid-November and mid-February, researchers there zeroed in on those who tested positive twice between 20 and 60 days apart, and whose infections had gone through previous genomic surveillance and were labelled as a specific subvariant.
The team at Statens Serum Institut (SSI) found in a study published this week but not yet peer-reviewed only 187 cases of reinfection. That included 47 instances where Omicron subvariant BA.2 reinfections happened shortly after a BA.1 infection, “mostly in young unvaccinated individuals with mild disease not resulting in hospitalization or death,” the team wrote.
In other words, getting infected more than once by subvariants in the Omicron family does seem possible, but it appears to be not a common risk.
One of the researchers, Dr. Troels Lillebæk, chair of Denmark’s SARS-CoV-2 variant assessment committee, told CBC News this offers the first evidence of reinfections among members of the Omicron family, but it appears to be a “quite rare phenomenon.”
“If it was a major problem that you could catch BA.2 after BA.1, you could imagine a new wave,” he said. “This does not really point in that direction.”
The highly contagious BA.2 subvariant now makes up roughly nine in 10 cases in Denmark, with cases also rising in countries including Norway, South Africa and the United Kingdom.
Here in Canada, the subvariant was barely a blip in federal data by early January, but the latest-available data by month’s end suggest it makes up roughly one in 10 cases.
Some 1.25 million Canadians were infected with COVID-19 in December and January, according to CBC tracking of provincially released data, almost certainly an undercount as officials across the country stressed that the high transmissibility of Omicron was overwhelming case surveillance to a degree not seen in previous variants.
“So many people are vaccinated and boosted or have had BA.1 recently that they’re not very likely to be reinfected so quickly afterwards with BA.2,” said Angela Rasmussen, a virologist with the University of Saskatchewan’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO).
“We should start thinking about the next variant that’s going to come along rather than worrying so much about BA.2.”
Further to Rasmussen’s point, a recent New York Magazine article by science writer Jeff Wise expounded on the twists and turns involving COVID-19 variants over the course of two years.
“None of the variants of concern have led to the next variants of concern,” Emma Hodcroft, epidemiologist at the University of Bern in Switzerland, told Wise.
Alberta expands vaccine access, encourages parents to get kids 5-to-11 inoculated
Alberta’s government is concerned about low COVID-19 vaccination rates for children and wants to push provincial numbers closer to the national average, Health Minister Jason Copping said Wednesday.
Copping told a news conference that Alberta’s government doesn’t have a “specific target” in mind for increasing childhood vaccination rates.
“But we would like to move closer [to] — and even achieve — the average across the country,” he said. The province has among the lowest vaccination rates for children in Canada. As of Monday, 47.1 per cent of Alberta children ages five to 11 have had one dose of vaccine, while 23.6 per cent of the same age group have had two doses.
That compares to vaccination rates of 56.11 per cent and 27.9 per cent respectively for Canadian children in the same age group, according to federal data from Feb. 13. The highest-ranking province is Newfoundland and Labrador, where 85.24 per cent of children ages five to 11 have had one dose and 40.27 per cent have had two.
Copping said surveys have previously shown “more reluctance” among parents in Alberta to get their children vaccinated, with many parents “taking a wait-and-see attitude,” he said. Other parents whose children have contracted COVID-19 during the Omicron wave are holding back on getting them vaccinated, Copping added.
In a bid to boost rates in Alberta children, the province has increased the availability of pediatric COVID-19 vaccines, making access widely available at pharmacies, physician offices and Alberta Health Services clinics, the minister said.
As stated in a newsletter last month, while there’s certainly room for Canada’s five-to-11 vaccination rate to grow, the uptake is not at all out of step for Western or developed countries using vaccines other than Chinese or Russian brands. In fact, Canada appears to be near the top in terms of vaccination pace along with countries such as Spain and Australia.
Canada’s pace is well ahead of countries such as the United States, Israel, France, Italy and Denmark.
Britain, Norway and Sweden — all countries moving into a non-emergency phase of “living with COVID” — are not vaccinating children that young en masse, although there are some exceptions for ill or immunocompromised kids. Meanwhile, Japan won’t start their campaign for that age cohort until next week.
MAINEVILLE, Ohio (AP) — Nelly Korda had a tough time getting out of bed Thursday morning. Any Solheim Cup fatigue had no bearing on her standard of golf, a bogey-free 67 in the Kroger Queen City Championship that left her two shots behind Ashleigh Buhai.
Korda and Leona Maguire, who also had a 5-under 67, are among 11 players who competed in the Solheim Cup last week and got right back to work at the TPC River’s Bend. Savannah Grewal of Mississauga, Ont., also had a 67 on the day to be tied for fourth.
Buhai, a former Women’s British Open champion from South Africa, isn’t part of the Solheim Cup and had a few weeks to rest from an injury-plagued season. She ran off eight birdies for her 7-under 65, giving her a one-shot lead over Jeeno Thitikul and Yan Liu.
“Just shows that rest is just as important,” Buhai said. “I know if I give myself five days to warm up, with my coach coming in, we did good work, and, yeah, it was nice to actually just see it pay off today.”
Korda at least had the afternoon for nap time after her early start. She went 3-1 in her matches last week in the Solheim Cup as the Americans defeated Europe for the first time in seven years.
“I’m looking forward to the stay-in-bed-all-day vibe today. It was definitely tough kind of waking up this morning, but I do love competing and I love being out here,” Korda said. “Everyone that played last week is going to be tired. I’m just trying to take it one step at a time, know that my energy levels aren’t the greatest, but I’m still motivated.”
She found additional motivation not so much from her five birdies but keeping a clean card.
“There is just no greater feeling than minimized your mistakes, or making no mistakes,” Korda said. “Whenever you get to play a bogey-free round I feel like it motivates you, and hopefully I can take that energy into the next three days.”
Maguire only played two matches last week, having played all five matches her previous two appearances. She wasn’t pleased about being sat out, especially after she easily disposed of Ally Ewing (4 and 3) in singles.
But maybe there was one upside.
“Last couple of Solheims I’ve played five matches, been exhausted after the Solheim,” she said. “So nice to be a little bit fresher time around.”
Korda and Maguire were part of a large group at 67 that included Lydia Ko, who last played three weeks ago and had every reason to be floating on air. Along with winning Olympic gold just over a month ago, she captured the Women’s British Open at St. Andrews.
Ko said her big summer — winning the gold medal got her into the LPGA Hall of Fame — still hasn’t sunk in. She arrived in the Cincinnati area having to learn a new course. The tournament was held at Kenwood Country Club the last two years, which is going through some improvements.
“It’s a new golf course, so all of us are just trying to get used to this TPC course and just putting ourselves in position,” Ko said. “And sometimes I think when you do see low scores, you try and chase it too much, but I just tried to stick to my own kind of routine and my strategy.”
Hamilton’s Alena Sharp had a 69, while Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., shot 71.
Rose Zhang went 4-0 in her matches at the Solheim Cup — needing only 58 holes — and finished with three straight bogeys for a 73. Esther Henseleit had a 74, and the other seven Solheim Cup players were at par or better.
PENTICTON, B.C. – Jake DeBrusk had a bit of an unfamiliar feeling as he prepared to hit the ice with his Vancouver Canucks teammates Thursday — butterflies.
The 27-year-old winger is no stranger to NHL training camps, but after seven seasons with the Boston Bruins, Thursday marked his first time skating with a new team.
“It was actually pretty nerve wracking. I was a little nervous going out there,” DeBrusk said after the Canucks’ first day of training camp in Penticton, B.C.
“It kind of caught me off guard, actually. But it was good. The guys are competing and it was fast out there. Trying to get chemistry and things like that, so it was exciting.”
DeBrusk inked a seven-year, US$38.5-million deal with the Canucks when the league’s free agent market opened on July 1, and was quickly pencilled in as a linemate for Vancouver’s star centre, Elias Pettersson.
The duo skated together in drills on Thursday, and DeBrusk was excited about the result.
“I think I’ve seen a lot of really wicked plays by (Pettersson),” he said. “And I’m sort of still catching up a little bit, but I’m starting to figure some of it out, I think. Any time you have a player like that that’s so dynamic, you want to just be consistent for him and just have someone that he can rely on.”
DeBrusk, who put up 19 goals and 21 assists in 80 games for the Bruins last season, brings speed and tenacity to the Canucks, Pettersson said.
“He’s skilful, but then works hard,” he said. “He plays the body and goes to the dirty areas. But I think it’s the combination of physical play and smartness.”
Developing chemistry takes time both on the ice and away from the rink, Pettersson added.
“It’s just hanging out,” he said. “When you’re, I guess, good at hockey, you just figure it out on the ice. And we’ll continue taking steps every day. I’m just excited to get going.”
DeBrusk is among a handful of new additions to Vancouver’s roster.
The Canucks also added forwards Danton Heinen, Kiefer Sherwood and Daniel Sprong, and defencemen Derek Forbort and Vincent Desharnais in free agency.
Desharnais was already familiar with Vancouver’s playing style, having had a close-up look as a member of the Edmonton Oilers squad that eliminated the Canucks from the playoffs in a gritty, seven-game second-round series in May.
The first day of training camp provided new insight for the six-foot-seven, 226-pound blue liner, however.
“I understand why they were so hard to play against last year,” he said with a laugh.
While Desharnais contributed a goal, 10 assists and 54 penalty minutes to the Oilers last season, Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin has said he believes the 28-year-old from Laval, Que., has more to give.
Desharnais agreed.
“That’s why I’m here, to get better,” he said. “I think there’s a lot of small details I can add to my game. I’m a late bloomer, and I want to keep learning, I want to keep improving myself, and every day to get a better mindset every day. Every morning, I just try to get better.”
Transitioning to a new team has been smooth so far, Desharnais said.
“I feel like I’m part of the team already,” he said, adding that he’s spent much of the last week and a half hanging out with his new teammates away from the rink. “I’m very excited to start travelling, to start playing games because you get even closer.”
Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet knows better than most what it takes for a player to settle in with a new locker room, having played for six different teams over the course of 18 seasons in the NHL.
Vancouver’s veteran players have done a good job of making the recent additions feel welcome, he said.
“I’ve been on other teams where it takes you a while, maybe it’s not as close,” the coach said. “But this team, whoever comes in here, it’s ‘Hey, you’re welcome’ and they’re hanging together. So I credit those guys for that environment.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
MIAMI (AP) — Shohei Ohtani became the first major league player to exceed 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season during the most spectacular game of a history-making career for the Los Angeles Dodgers star, going deep three times and swiping two bags on Thursday against the Miami Marlins.
Ohtani hit is 49th homer in the sixth inning, his 50th in the seventh and his 51st in the ninth. He finished 6 for 6 with 10 RBIs while becoming the first big league player to hit three homers and steal two bases in a game.
“It was something I wanted to get over as quickly as possible. And, you know, it’s something that I’m going to cherish for a very long time,” Ohtani said through an interpreter in a televised interview.
The Japanese superstar reached the second deck in right-center on two of his three homers at LoanDepot Park. In the sixth inning, he launched a 1-1 slider from George Soriano 438 feet for his 49th.
Ohtani hit his 50th homer in the seventh inning, an opposite-field, two-run shot to left against Marlins reliever Mike Baumann. Then, in the ninth, his 51st traveled 440 feet to right-center, a three-run shot against Marlins second baseman Vidal Brujan, who came in to pitch with the game out of hand. The Dodgers won 20-4 and clinched their 12th straight playoff berth.
“To be honest, I’m the one probably most surprised,” Ohtani said. “I have no idea where this came from, but I’m glad that it was going well today.”
Ohtani took care of the stolen bases earlier in the game, swiping his 50th in the first and his 51st in the second.
He broke the Dodgers’ franchise record of 49 homers set by Shawn Green in 2001. And he became the third player in major league history with at least six hits, three homers and 10 RBIs in a game, joining Cincinnati’s Walker Cooper in 1949 and Washington’s Anthony Rendon in 2017.
The Japanese superstar led off the game with double against Edward Cabrera and swiped third on the front end of a double steal with Freddie Freeman, who reached on a walk.
Ohtani has been successful on his last 28 stolen base attempts.
He reached the 50-50 milestone in his 150th game. Ohtani was already the sixth player in major league history and the fastest ever to reach 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a season, needing just 126 games.
Ohtani’s previous career high in homers was 46 for the Los Angeles Angels in 2021, when he also made 23 starts on the mound and won his first of two American League MVP awards.
Already the consensus best player in baseball whose accomplishments as a pitcher and batter outpaced even Babe Ruth, Ohtani reached new heights as an offensive player while taking the year off from pitching.
Ohtani signed a $700 million, 10-year deal with the Dodgers last December. The two-way star, who previously spent six years with the Los Angeles Angels, has played exclusively at designated hitter this season as he rehabilitates after surgery a year ago for an injured elbow ligament.
Preparation was a key to Ohtani becoming the first member of the 50-50 club. He regularly huddled with the team’s hitting coaches and studied video of opposing pitchers to understand their tendencies with hitters and baserunners.
“I see all the work he puts in,” Dodgers catcher Will Smith said recently. “It’s not like he goes out there and it’s too easy for him. He works harder than anybody. He scouts really hard. He’s playing a different game so it’s fun to see.”
Ohtani appeared to make the 50-50 mark his mission. He increased the frequency of his base-stealing attempts and in turn his success rate went up.
But that may not be the case next year when he returns to the mound.
“He’s not pitching this year so I think he is emptying the tank offensively,” Manager Dave Roberts said. “I do think the power, the on-base (percentage), the average, I think he can do that as a pitcher. He’s done something pretty similar like that with his OPS. But as far as the stolen bases go, I’m not sure about that.”
Ohtani’s teammates have enjoyed watching him crush home runs and scamper around the bases.
“I’m honestly kind of trying to learn from him just seeing the way he goes about his day-to-day business. He’s very consistent, the same demeanor throughout,” outfielder Tommy Edman said recently. “I think that’s why he’s such a good player.”
Third baseman Max Muncy added, “Every night I feel like he does something that we haven’t seen.”
What’s next for Ohtani?
The Dodgers are headed to the postseason in October, which will be another first for Ohtani. He never made it there with the Angels, who never had a winning record during his tenure in Anaheim.
Another potential first could be earning National League MVP honors as a designated hitter. No player who got most of his playing time as a DH — without pitching — has ever won MVP, although Don Baylor, Edgar Martinez and David Ortiz placed high in the vote.
It would be Ohtani’s third career MVP award.
___
AP Sports Writer Beth Harris in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
