Officials keep pushing vaccinations for holiday gatherings.
Third dose eligibility expands by age in Ontario.
Quebec opens third doses to more groups, with more ages next month.
Pfizer-BioNTech pushes a three-dose COVID-19 vaccination to fight omicron.
Every Thursday, CBC Ottawa brings you this roundup of COVID-19 vaccination developments throughout the region. You can find more information through links at the bottom of the page.
There have been more than 3.8 million doses administered in the wider Ottawa-Gatineau region; nearly 80,000 in the last week. That count has risen again recently with child and third dose eligibility expanding.
Provincial picture
Top health officials say vaccines are a key tool to help keep people safe if they’re gathering indoors for the holidays.
Quebec and Ontario say people should mask and distance if they’re around unvaccinated people indoors, with Quebec’s public health director going further to recommend not to mix vaccinated and unvaccinated people.
As a way to offer some sort of protection, Ontario is offering the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to adults “who have an allergy or contraindication to mRNA vaccines or at the request of an individual who has not yet been vaccinated.”
WATCH | Keep indoor gatherings small and vaccinated:
Vaccines work to reduce transmission, but holiday gatherings should still be small, expert says
5 days ago
Duration 1:01
Dr. Gerald Evans, an infectious disease specialist at Queen’s University, says many new cases still originate at private gatherings, meaning it’s wise to limit the number of close contacts despite the effectiveness of vaccines. 1:01
Ontario is also expanding third vaccine doses to people in their 50s and 60s as of Monday morning. People receiving dialysis are now eligible to receive a third vaccine dose if it has been 56 days since their second dose and people given some types of cell transplants or therapies should get another dose.
Quebec has expanded third-dose eligibility to health-care workers, people with chronic illnesses and other health issues, people from isolated and remote communities and pregnant people.
The importance of Canada’s 1st home-grown COVID-19 vaccine
1 day ago
Duration 4:52
Quebec company Medicago is getting ready to submit data about its COVID-19 vaccine for final regulatory approval, which is a significant step for the pandemic and Canada’s bio-pharmaceutical industry. 4:52
Eighty-seven per cent of Quebec residents age five and up have had at least one dose and 81 per cent are fully vaccinated.
About 85 per cent of Ontario residents born in 2016 and earlier have at least one vaccine dose, while about 81 per cent are fully vaccinated.
Pfizer and BioNTech are sharing preliminary findings that a three-shot course of their COVID-19 vaccine was able to neutralize the new omicron variant in a laboratory test. It’s the first official statement from vaccine manufacturers on the likely efficacy of their shot against the latest variant of concern.
Pfizer says 3 shots neutralize omicron variant in early findings
11 hours 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
Of the city’s total population of just over one million, 83 per cent of residents have had at least one dose, including 87 per cent of residents born in 2016 or earlier.
Seventy-seven per cent of the total population is fully vaccinated, as are 82 per cent of the population age five and older.
About 69,000 residents have had a third dose.
This combined bar and line graph shows vaccination numbers for Ottawa residents born in 2016 or earlier. Every age demographic starting at age 40, along with children age 12 to 17, is at least 90 per cent fully vaccinated. (Ottawa Public Health)
CISSSO continues to list recurring, mobile and pop-up clinics online. Third doses are by appointment only.
Signs tell people about Quebec’s proof-of-vaccination rules at Sommet Edelweiss in La Pêche, Que., last Saturday. Vaccine passports are required to access facilities with a chairlift in Quebec. (Félix Desroches/Radio-Canada)
The Outaouais has distributed about 632,000 doses — combined first, second and third — among a population of about 386,000.
There are child-only clinics at a different high school in the region each week — this week the Kingston Secondary School Thursday afternoon. More child-only clinics are in Stone Mills Thursday and the Napanee Community Health Centre Thursday, Sunday and Monday
This weekend they’re at Rockland’s Jean-Marc Lalonde Arena Thursday afternoon and Cornwall Square on Friday.
Details for its vaccine clinics are regularly shared on its website and social media. It prefers people try a pharmacy or family doctor for their third dose before a community clinic.
More than 347,000 vaccine doses have been administered, including more than 11,800 third doses.
About 84 per cent of residents five and older are partially vaccinated, including about 20 per cent of its five-to-11 population, and about 80 per cent are fully vaccinated.
WATCH | The medical officer of health’s weekly update:
[embedded content]
Leeds, Grenville and Lanark
Because of the new demand from children and those seeking a third dose, the health unit is not offering walk-in vaccinations at this time. Clinic locations and hours are listed online and on social media; space for walk-ins may open up from time to time and they’ll share it online if it does.
Worried about the risk of myocarditis or pericarditis for your child? There have been zero reported cases of this after vaccination in those aged 5-11. For older teens and young adults, a COVID infection is much more likely to cause this condition than the vaccine is. <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/VaxFacts?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#VaxFacts</a> <a href=”https://t.co/8foyEC6FId”>pic.twitter.com/8foyEC6FId</a>
The health unit has given about 315,000 doses to residents, which now includes about 11,800 third doses.
It is seeing 95 per cent of its population age 12 and up with at least one dose and about 93 per cent of those residents have at least two doses.
About 1,900 children born between 2010 and 2016 have had a first dose, which is about 16 per cent of its total.
Hastings Prince Edward
Appointments in Belleville and Picton are by appointment only. Bancroft’s vaccinations are being handled by the local health team.
There’s a clinic just for children age five to 11 Thursday afternoon at Trenton High School. One or two household members can get vaccinated without an appointment as long as the child has an appointment.
About 279,000 doses have been administered to this area’s residents, including about 11,600 third doses.
Eighty-four per cent of the local population age five and older has had at least has a first dose, including about 2,300 doses for kids age five to 11. Seventy-eight per cent of eligible residents are fully vaccinated.
Renfrew County
The health unit regularly shares pop-up and walk-in clinic information online. It includes a clinic for people age 12 and up in Cobden Thursday at noon and child-only clinics Friday and Saturday in Pembroke.
Needles can cause distress, but there are ways to improve your vaccination experience. Check out this great graphic about the CARD system, which provides some way to help reduce pain, stress and worries that come with vaccinations. For more info: <a href=”https://t.co/OhXjNCoGlm”>https://t.co/OhXjNCoGlm</a> <a href=”https://t.co/i5Q2UT17lc”>pic.twitter.com/i5Q2UT17lc</a>
Renfrew County’s health unit has distributed more than 163,000 doses.
Just under 90 per cent of its population above age 12, including military at Garrison Petawawa, have at least a first dose and about 87 per cent are fully vaccinated. It isn’t yet sharing data about younger children.
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
All orders are protected by SSL encryption – the highest industry standard for online security from trusted vendors.
Bizarre Sunlight Loophole Melts Belly Fat Fast! is backed with a 60 Day No Questions Asked Money Back Guarantee. If within the first 60 days of receipt you are not satisfied with Wake Up Lean™, you can request a refund by sending an email to the address given inside the product and we will immediately refund your entire purchase price, with no questions asked.
